Seeking Silver
by fanfic authoress
Summary: Lovisa was hired to work in the Avengers Tower with Tony Stark, but it's a lot harder than she'd expected. After all, what do you do when a quick mutant seems to keep insist on running into you? (After Age of Ultron, Pietro didn't die. Pietro/OC)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lovisa hadn't imagined- in her wildest, craziest dreams- that she would one day be walking into the Stark Tower for her new job. But today, she was. _Finally._ Counting out a small amount of bills in her purse, she handed them to the taxi driver. With a tip of his hat, he was gone.

Nervously, Lovisa paused hesitantly on the steps leading up the Star- _Avengers_ now- Tower. After the battle of New York, it had been renamed after the legendary team. After a moment, she walked up the stone steps to the tall building. It was by no means the tallest building in New York, but by far the most impressive. If not by the outside, then by what she knew was inside it. Inside, there were geniuses of every variety. Besides Tony Stark (who was obviously in a category of his own), there was Dr. Banner, and hundreds of aspiring scientists on the lower floors. But that wasn't where she's going. Oh, no- she was going to one of the top floors.

Faking confidence she knew she needed desperately, Lovisa set her shoulders and opened the door. Almost immediately, her faked confidence vacated her. _Oh my god…_ If the outside was impressive, then the inside was doubly so. Her eyes scanned the hoard of professionally dressed men and women. She felt very conspicuous in her casual clothing, but it was what her ' _boss_ ' told her to wear- at least according to the letter in her hand.

Sitting down, Lovisa reached for the crumpled letter in her pocket. Smoothing it out, her eyes scanned the black print. Not that she needed, of course. She had read it so many times that the words had lost all meaning.

 _Dear Ms. Spen,_

 _Dr. Banner and I would be delighted to inform you that we have a position open in our lab for you. We looked at your records and your grades were top of the best. Well- excluding me, of course. ANYWAY, please come in on the 26th of June at eleven o'clock to start. DON'T BE LATE! Well, I probably will, but Bruce won't. You'll start out mostly as a beginner- but you won't just have to get us coffee and stuff! You'll get to do other things…_

 _In addition, do NOT come in professional clothing. Like those ridiculous suit-skirt things- nuh-uh. Don't even think about it._

 _We look forward to meeting you._

 _Cordially,_

 _Tony Stark_

It was an eccentric letter, at best. Or at least that's what Lovisa had told herself. Tony Stark sounded arrogant already, and she hadn't even met the man.

-Several days earlier-

"Lovisa!" Her best pink-loving friend, Bethany, exclaimed. Lovisa barely had time to blink before a piece of paper was being waved in front of her face.

"What?" Lovisa asked curiously, grasping the paper out of the air.

"Stark Tower is accepting!" Her friend burst out excitedly. Lovisa's look of confusion dropped, replaced with an expression of hope. The Stark industry had been her first hope for a position- not that she'd ever put any serious thought into it. It had been an idle daydream, a wish. Certainly not _possible_.

"Really?" She demanded, grabbing Bethany's arms.

"Yes!" She squealed. Lovisa joined in and they jumped up and down together. _Tony Stark- THE Tony Stark- was accepting job applications! And not just for any other spot, but to work with him and Bruce Banner! This was amazing_. Lovisa's thoughts took a dark turn after a moment of excitement. _But what if they don't want me? I mean, I haven't been in a lab for at least a year._ After college, she had been unable to find a job- despite being heavily qualified for a very high ranking position. She had no idea why, but she suspected sexism had a part in it- along with a wondering if she slept her way into her grades. (She didn't, by the way)

"Wait," Lovisa said cautiously, ceasing her jumping, "What if they won't accept me?" Bethany rolled her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" She drawled, "You're brilliant!" Lovisa still looked unconvinced. Sighing, she continued. "You graduated from high school at age sixteen, and from college only two years later, majoring in Science. Of _course_ they'll want you! You have the highest IQ out of anyone I've ever had the pleasure of meeting." Lovisa's look of concern slowly melted away after a moment. _Well, maybe…_

Bethany sighed at her friend's still unconvinced look.

"Look," she said, "It won't hurt to just submit your application." Lovisa's expression disappeared.

"I guess you're right," she gave in. Bethany's face lit up with a huge smile.

"Great!"

-o0o-

That had been a week ago, and since then she'd had an interview with Pepper Potts and got the job. The moment when she'd got her acceptance letter was the most shocking moment of her life.

 _I guess all those weekends studying paid off_ , Lovisa thought nervously. She was excited for this new job- her first one in a long time. But she would miss Bethany, pretty much her only friend. All her other ones eventually tired of her one-track focus on education. Shifting in her seat, Lovisa fiddled with her turquoise ring on her finger as she waited for someone to come get her.

"Miss. Spen?" A familiar voice said to her. Lovisa turned her head quickly to the voice. It was Pepper. She was standing there looking very professional in her women's suit. (Despite what Tony Stark said, Lovisa suspected that he liked seeing those 'suit-skirt things' on his fiancée.) Her blond hair was done up in a bun, unlike Lovisa's light brown hair that was left in a french braid.

"Ms. Potts!" Lovisa cried, relieved. She'd been worried that someone who she hadn't known would show up. Standing up, she shoved the letter deep into her pocket. Pepper reached out a hand and Lovisa took it.

"Nice to meet you again," Pepper greeted warmly. Lovisa's face broke into a grin.

"Thank you," she said courteously, "I was worried someone who I haven't met was going to come get me." Pepper smiled in return.

"Don't worry," she reassured, "We wouldn't do that to you." Lovisa smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she repeated as they moved towards the elevator. Once the small doors of the elevator opened, Pepper looked at Lovisa expectantly when she didn't immediately follow her. _Great…_ Lovisa had been hoping that she wouldn't have been tested this early on. Already, her throat was closing up- and she didn't have a hope of speaking.

"Are you okay?" Pepper asked concernedly at her white expression. She wasn't entirely obvious to Lovisa's inner war. Pepper liked this girl. Call it motherly instinct- but she could tell something was wrong by the way the corners of her mouth were twitching into a grimace. She repeated her previous sentence- apparently snapping the girl out of her trance.

"Sorry," Lovisa apologized, sliding into the elevator right before the doors closed shut, "Just distracted." Pepper smiled acceptingly, but a glint of concern in her eye. She could tell that wasn't all…

"Where to, Miss Potts?" An electronic voice called out. Lovisa jumped, gripping tightly onto the inner railing.

"What's that?" She demanded edgily- already uneasy from being in a tiny space. Pepper smiled reassuringly, putting her hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"It's just the AI system," she answered, "Since Jarvis got transplanted into the Vision, now we have Friday." Lovisa didn't really understand everything about this supposed 'Vision', but she accepted her explanation.

"Right," Lovisa answered vaguely, not actually understanding what she meant. Pepper smiled softly to herself, as if she knew what Lovisa was trying to do.

"Floor seventy-two, please," Pepper called to Friday. Immediately, the elevator started ascending at a rapid pace. Through the entire ride, Lovisa was nervous, distracted only by Pepper's soothing talk. Her knuckles turned white as she hung on the railing for dear life.

The elevator opened with a ding when they reached the lab. Lovisa rushed out, glad to be out of such a small space.

"Woah," Lovisa breathed, finally looking around. The lab was a huge space filled with anything and everything a scientist could dream of. _This is amazing._ She could tell she would have a _lot_ of fun in here. Sitting at one of the tables were two men talking. They looked up when she entered.

"Oh, hello," one of them greeted, standing up to his full (short) height. Tony Stark had an air of confidence about him, with more than a touch of arrogance. His hair and beard looked perfectly styled- obviously having put a lot of thought into how he dressed. "New recruit, cool! I hope you're fine with snacks in the lab, because I get very hungry and so does Bruce- he just won't admit it." Lovisa eyed him strangely after his odd greeting, but nevertheless took his proffered hand.

"Don't worry, I don't," she answered as best she could with a smile, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Stark." He snorted.

"Don't call me that, that's my father. You can just call me Tony." He sounded like he said that a lot. Lovisa arched an eyebrow at his directness. She didn't bother to comment about how it was unprofessional, already coming to the conclusion that nothing about her new boss was professional. Dr. Banner stood up.

"I…" He glanced at Tony, " _Apologize_ for him. He's mentally a three year old, please excuse him." Lovisa giggled at his greeting, shaking his hand also.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Banner," she greeted warmly. Dr. Banner was much more unassuming than Tony. With his messy brown hair that was obviously ruffled often, and almost forgettable features, the Hulk in his human form didn't leave as much as an impression as Tony. He smiled at her.

"No need to call me that," he reassured, "Just Bruce will do." Lovisa nodded acceptingly. She could already tell which of the two she liked best.

"Right then," she said awkwardly. "Thank you so much for accepting me," she thanked in a rush. Tony chuckled.

"Oh come on," he sighed playfully, "You definitely qualified and I think you deserved the job." Lovisa's cheeks tinted slightly pink.

"Thank you," she repeated.

"But don't get a big head," he ordered sternly, "I refuse to work around those kinds of people."

"Probably because you already have one," Bruce muttered under his breath.

"Hey!" Tony exclaimed, turning to his friend. Bruce shrugged unapologetically and Lovisa had to stifle a laugh that was bubbling in her throat.

"Anyway," Tony continued, turning around to face her again, "You get to join Team Science! Sorry there aren't any other females- there are others in the tower, of course, but none in the lab. Foster occasionally comes in, but she's usually too busy out in the field. Always in love with the stars, that one." Lovisa wrinkled her nose at the thought of no other females.

"Oh, that's fine," she brushed the thought off. _Well, could be better- but I'll stick with what I get._ It wasn't like she was going to get another offer like _this_. And if that came at the price of being around testosterone most of the day, then she would just have to deal with it. (Or so she told herself.) Tony grinned, clapping his hands together.

"Awesome," he exclaimed, waving a hand at Pepper to come over. She obeyed, standing a few inches taller than her fiancé with her heels. Without them, Lovisa suspected they would be the exact same height. _That must get on Tony's nerves…_ Not that she cared much for the man-child's ego. He had enough of it.

"If you need anything, feel free to talk to Pepper," he went on, "And your living and sleeping arrangements are already made." Lovisa's eyes widened as she broke in.

"What do you mean, 'living arrangements'?" She interrupted quickly. Tony gave her a surprised look.

"In the tower," he said slowly. Lovisa's eyes widened even more.

"I'm living here?" She squeaked, looking very overwhelmed.

"You didn't tell her?" Pepper demanded, stepping away from Tony to stare at him. He looked sheepishly at his feet.

"No?" He phrased it like a question. With a sigh, Pepper hit him on the back of the head, albeit gently.

"You don't just spring that on someone!" She exclaimed, exasperated. Letting out a deep breath, she turned to Lovisa.

"I'm sorry, Lovisa, he's scatterbrained," she apologized. Lovisa nodded, accepting it. Now that the idea had sunk into her slightly, she'd calmed down. But the idea of staying in the _Avengers Tower_ was still overwhelming. "No, no, it's alright," she reassured, "I was just… surprised, is all." Pepper didn't look entirely convinced, but she let it go with a relieved look on her face.

"Alright," she sighed, "I'll leave you with the boys, but be sure and call me if you need anything." Lovisa nodded with a smile.

"Of course," she answered. Pepper smiled back at her before giving Tony a kiss and leaving. There was a moment of silence as Tony stared after her.

"Right," Tony said, clearing his throat, "Let's get to work." Lovisa smiled before settling in. She had a feeling she would like it here…

 **Yay! I just saw Age of Ultron, and I fell in LOVE with Pietro. Also, this fic is inspired by the fantastic fic called Look at Them by Lucky Strike's alter ego. If you haven't read it yet, go do so. It's amazing! Anyway, please R &R!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Or maybe not. Tony Stark was irritating to the extreme- and that was at best. It wasn't that he wasn't letting her do anything, oh no. It was that he kept poking her with metal instruments.

"Would you stop that?" She snapped after about the seventh time he jabbed her. Perhaps she shouldn't be speaking to her new boss like that, but she was too fed up to notice.

"Nope," Tony answered with a huge grin, poking her with it again. Her eye twitched as she came to a conclusion. _Tony Stark is a child._ Closing her eyes, she quickly hummed a little tune to calm herself. It didn't work. Once she felt another poke at her side, her eyes flew open.

"Bruce!" She yelled, irritation filling her voice. The much more mature scientist turned around to examine her plight.

"Yes?" He asked tiredly, taking off his glasses. He was used to people complaining about Tony, not that he blamed them.

"Tony's being an ass!" Okay, maybe it was overkill to swear at your boss- but it was true. Completely and utterly true.

"Language!" Bruce and Tony said simultaneously with identical grins. Lovisa looked at them confusedly.

"What?" She asked, bemused. She was suspicious, not just because nobody said 'language' anymore, but also by their grins. She was definitely missing something. Her idea was confirmed when they made eye contact.

"Inside joke," Tony dismissed, "But now you're going to have to put money in the swear jar." Lovisa's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

"Do you actually have a swear jar?" She asked hesitantly, knowing better than to put anything passed him. With a grin, Tony reached down under the counter and pulled out a large jar with a label stating 'Swear Jar'. It was already half-full with quarters, nickels, and dimes.

"You're _kidding_ me." His grin was answer enough. With a sigh, Lovisa reached into her pocket and pulled out thirty-four cents.

"Here," she sighed, letting the loose change clank in the glass jar.

"Thank you, my dear," Tony said mischievously, putting the jar away. Sighing, Lovisa brushed away some stray hairs that had escaped her braid. Shaking her head, she got back to work.

"I can't believe you have a swear jar," she murmured under her breath, unaware that they could hear her.

"Of course we do," Tony scoffed, as if the idea was absurd, "What kind of uncivilized people don't?" Lovisa glared at him over her microscope.

"Most people," Lovisa answered dryly, before turning her attention back to her microscope. Tony chuckled before coming to stand behind her. The hairs on her neck stood up at the feeling like someone was reading over her shoulder.

"What are you looking at?" Tony asked curiously. Lovisa sighed at his almost child-like demeanor.

"Something that my friend brought me back from India. I haven't got the chance to examine it yet." Her only other friend, Tala, had brought them back for her. Lovisa hadn't seen her other friend in several years- she was too busy exploring her own homeland of India. Not that Lovisa blamed her, if she could travel the world and go back home, God knows she would. Tony sniffed.

"Cool," he commented, cooly examining her technique without her knowledge. After a moment, he moved away and Lovisa let out a sigh of relief. Luckily after that, he let her work in peace for the next several hours. But not for much longer.

After about the third hour, Tony started complaining again.

"I'm bored!" He exclaimed petulantly. Lovisa rolled her eyes. This certainly differed from what she'd heard about him. From what Pepper had told her, Tony would go days without eating or sleeping in his lab- until someone physically made him. Lovisa sighed, turning to face the man-child.

"Then what do you want to do?" Lovisa asked indulgently, placing her hands on her hips. After all she'd been through with her new boss, she'd resorted to old techniques that she usually used on children. Tony perked up immediately.

"Actually, I'm hungry- can you get us food?" He asked, sitting up and rubbing his hands together. Lovisa's eye twitched minimally before she nodded, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Of course," she said tiredly. _Is every day going to be like this?_ Yes, she enjoyed being in a lab again- especially after so long; but Tony was hard to work with. For one, he was utterly ridiculous. He would do anything to annoy you or get a reaction. Lovisa thought it was like dealing with one of the children at the Day Care nearby. _Well, it kind of is._ Except this child just happened to be a genius billionaire.

Grabbing her purse from her chair, she slung it over her shoulder and stalked out of the lab. She ignored the elevator- not wanting to go in there a second time. She didn't even care that she was on the seventy-second floor. It was worth it. She brushed aside the thought of what she would do on the return trip.

Once she got to the ground floor, her legs were aching but it was worth it. She didn't have to go in that small metal box. Grinning in triumph to herself at her small victory, she went outside- only for it to start raining.

"Oh, great!" She exclaimed. Huffing, she took out her polka-dot umbrella from her bag. Disgruntled, Lovisa started to make her way down to the nearest subway.

/

Back at the lab, Tony was grinning from ear to ear, and Bruce was looking at him suspiciously.

"Why are you smiling?" Bruce finally asked with a note of suspicion in his voice. There always was with Tony. Who knows what he could be thinking.

"So our new scientist, she's pretty cute, right?" Tony asked offhandedly. Bruce looked at him with a look of incredulousness. Well, he was right. He suspected that was part of the reason why Tony hired her. Light brown hair and wondering, dark green eyes. The freckles didn't hurt either.

"Yes… I suppose…" He answered cautiously. What was he on about? Bruce was hoping that Tony didn't want to come on to her. But he doubted he would; after all, Tony had Pepper. (Who, in his opinion, was way too good for his friend). Tony's grin widened even more.

"Well, you know who else is around her age, and would look cute with her?" Tony inquired. Bruce's brow furrowed as he struggled to follow Tony's train of thought. His eyes widened with realization.

"Tony!" He started with a note of panic in his voice. He knew what Tony could do when he put his mind to something. "No, Tony- don't even think about it!" He was losing his grip on control as Tony ignored him.

"But think about it," Tony continued mischievously, "Lovisa and Speedy Gonzales would be so cute together!" He ignored Bruce shaking his head vigorously at his best friend. "Besides, the Witch needs a friend. The only other female here is Nat, and she's only here sometimes- _and_ an assassin." Not that Tony disapproved of the latter, he still thought the best of the agent. But he doubted that the Witch would want to befriend an assassin who didn't trust easily. The twins needed some normal in their hectic life. _See_ , he was thinking of the best for them!

"No!" Bruce blurted out, slamming his fist against a table, "You can't just go throwing away a budding scientist as a… _reward_ for the twins." When Tony still didn't look convinced, he continued. "Besides," he sighed, "How do you even know she's single- or straight, even." Tony's brow furrowed as he thought about what his friend said.

"Good point," he murmured before brightening when a thought hit him. "I'll just ask her." By now, Bruce's eyes were at danger of bursting out of his skull.

"Tony, you can't just play matchmaker whenever you feel like it!" Bruce protested. Tony gave him a severe look.

"Wasn't I right about Clint and Nat?" He asked smugly when Bruce didn't answer.

"That's different," he grumbled after a minute. "You're talking about a _human_ and a _mutant_ being together." Tony rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Oh please," he dismissed, "They're perfect for each other." Bruce gave up, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Fine," he snapped, "But for the love of God, Tony, don't do anything stupid." Tony answered with an innocent look.

"I never do anything stupid." Bruce scoffed.

"That's up for debate." Their conversation was stopped to a halt when their newest science buddy walked through the door to the stairs, looking confused and holding two subway bags.

/

The rain had let up as Lovisa walked back to the tower carrying their food. She still wasn't used to the fact that she was working there now- and apparently expected to live there. She was still grumbling when she got to the doors of the tower. Not bothering to pull back the rain-soaked hood of her jacket, she marched inside the tower. She got several scandalized looks because of the puddles she was making.

"Sorry!" Lovisa apologized when she ran into a woman wearing a suit. The woman gave her a dark look before shoving past her.

"Well then," Lovisa muttered under her breath. Hefting her bags higher up on her arms, she started going up the stairs. _Forget the elevator._ She didn't care whether it took her half an hour to reach upstairs.

"This is not going as planned," Lovisa panted fifteen minutes later when her legs started giving out. She'd found out it was one thing to go _down_ seventy-two floors, and a whole other to go up. This was not fun.

Stumbling to the landing, Lovisa sank to the ground in agony.

"Ugh…" She was obviously out of shape. That wasn't a really good thing, considering she usually prided herself on being fit. Well, semi-fit at least. _Maybe she could just rest here._ Her eyes drifted shut just for a moment.

"What are you doing?" Lovisa eyes snapped open. Standing in front of her, looking down at her in amusement, was a tall man with silver-colored hair. Clambering up, she dusted off her jeans sheepishly.

"Sorry, I-" she stuttered, tinting a light pink, "I was just taking a rest." The man looked at her in disbelief, and she couldn't help but notice how his pale gray eyes looked shrewd.

"From what?" He asked in a (Sokovian?) accent. _Goddammit._ Lovisa _knew_ accents were the death of her. Sighing, she brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face.

"The stairs," she answered vaguely. "Also, if I might ask, what floor am I on currently?" A note of hope entered her voice. Maybe she didn't have _that_ much more to go.

"Twelve." Lovisa's heart sank.

"Ugh," she groaned, shoulders slumping.

"What floor do you have to go to?" Lovisa was hesitant to answer his question.

"… Seventy-two…" The silver man's eyebrows shot up.

"Why don't you just take the elevator?" He inquired. Lovisa bristled.

"Because I don't want to," she huffed, turning and starting walking up the stairs again. Her legs screamed in protest, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

"It's going to take you an hour," the silver man commented from the stairwell.

"I don't care!" Lovisa retorted. She stubbornly pressed on. She almost heard a soft sigh from behind her, before she felt something pressing at her back and wind rushing in her ears. Freezing, she panicked and held onto whatever that thing was. Abruptly, it all stopped.

Looking around wildly, Lovisa was even more confused when she saw the silver man.

"Wha- How-" Lovisa struggled for words, "What did you just do?" She finally burst out. The silver man raised his eyebrows.

"You're welcome, you're on floor seventy-two," he said dryly. Looking down, Lovisa realized that she was currently in his arms, but it didn't really register. After he carefully set her down, Lovisa rushed to the window. _He's not lying._ She was so high up in the air that she could only barely make out the people on the pavement. They appeared little more than dots.

"But how-" She turned to ask the silver man, only to discover that he was gone.

"How did he do that?" Lovisa asked herself. Without an answer, she turned and walked back into the lab, carrying the two subway bags. She must have still looked very confused, because both Tony and Bruce looked at her strangely.

"Are you okay?" Tony asked after a moment. Lovisa looked at him with an affronted look on her face.

"Yeah, of course," she said distractedly, setting down the bag with their sandwiches in front of them. She took hers out, but refrained from eating it just eagerly dug in, while Lovisa pondered on the strange silver man.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Tony inquired, gesturing towards the uneaten sandwich she was holding. Nodding absently, she took a bite of it. _Eh_ , she thought, shrugging. _Not bad._ Quickly, the three of them polished off the rest of their lunches.

"So," Tony started, drawing the word out, "Lovisa. Are you single?" Lovisa almost choked on her spit.

"What?" She coughed, looking at him in absolute bewilderment. _Where did that come from?_ A touch of red brushed her cheeks at the improper question.

"Are you single?" Tony repeated with an air of innocence. Bruce was glaring at him, wondering why in the world he was friends with such an idiot. Lovisa looked at him skeptically.

"Yes…" She answered slowly, "Why?" Tony shrugged it off, but a mischievous glint gave him away.

"Oh, no reason," Tony dismissed, "Just curious." Lovisa stared at him incredulously for a moment, before shaking it off.

"Come on!" Tony called abruptly, bolting up from his seat- as if the fifteen minutes he'd been sitting down was too much, "Back to work!" Obeying, Lovisa went back to her microscope, unaware of the triumphant look Tony was shooting Bruce.

 **Hello! Can I just thank all of you lovelies for favoriting/following so much? My phone was blowing up all day. I'm surprised by how much love this is getting; I got like thirty follows in one day. Anyway, thank you all for reviewing and favoriting/following. This fic is inspired by the fanfic Look at Them, go and read it!**

 **Please R &R!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _Well,_ Lovisa sighed, _At least I'll have my stuff._ Last night after her first day at work, she'd been allowed to go sleep at her dorm because all of her stuff was there. But this afternoon, Tony had moved all of it into her new room without her knowledge. Now she _had_ to sleep here, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it yet.

On one hand, she got to live in the _Avengers Tower!_ That was amazing! But on the other, she would miss living with her best friend. And besides, who knew if she would even like most of the people here, or if they would like her?

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Lovisa slung her bag over her shoulder as she hiked up three flights of stairs. A few of the upper floors were reserved for the inhabitants to sleep and live in. Everyone who was allowed had access keys, and Tony had given Lovisa hers earlier in the day.

/

"Here you go," Tony said as he handed her a freshly made access card. Lovisa took it, confusion evident in her face.

"What is this?" She asked, bemused. Tony rolled his eyes at her. He didn't have enough coffee this morning (more like _night_ ) and he was feeling more sarcastic than usual.

"Your ticket to the dungeons," he replied snarkily, "This was actually all a joke, and we're locking you in the basement for all eternity." Lovisa stared tiredly at him, too fed up with him for words. Blinking slowly, she held her eyes closed for a longer than normal amount of time.

"What is it?" She repeated, gesturing slightly with the laminated card. Tony sighed, upset that he didn't get a rise out of her.

"It's your access key," he answered eventually, swinging himself into his swivel chair. Lovisa thought that it was a bad idea for Tony Stark- the biggest man-child in the universe- to have a swivel chair. He was hyper enough as he was. Lovisa was even more confused now. What did he mean, 'access key'?

"What do you mean?" She asked confusedly, voicing her thoughts. She already had keys to the lab, what other access keys were there? Tony sighed.

"For floor seventy-five," he answered, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "Your room," he added at her still confused look. Lovisa's heart thudded in her chest. _Oh…_

"My room?" She asked carefully. Tony looked at her dryly.

"Yes," he answered with a roll of his eyes, "What did you think it was for?" Lovisa glared at him.

"I just wasn't expecting it," she answered after lessening her glare. Tony nodded in acceptance.

"It'll let you access the entire floor, and all those above it," he elaborated. "The top five floors are where everyone's bedrooms are." Lovisa was shocked that he was giving her access to where the _Avengers_ slept. If she was in his place, she certainly wouldn't give that kind of access to someone she barely knew. _Why does he even trust me?_ By all means, he shouldn't.

"There's also a kitchen and a hangout on each floor, and an _amazing_ view from every window," Tony continued self-absorbedly. Lovisa hung onto the small rectangle of plastic, shocked. _Why is he doing this? This is way too much!_ It was only when she realized that an awkward silence had fallen that she spoke up.

"T-Thank you," she stuttered out her gratitude. A smile started making it's way across her face. "Thank you so much," she repeated, this time with more confidence. Tony grinned at her, patting her on the back.

"No problem, kid," he answered casually, moving her back to her work station. "Keep up the good work." Lovisa could do nothing to stop the broad grin that spread on her face.

"I will," she promised, meaning every word.

/

Although she was more than grateful to Tony and Bruce, she was still wary about moving to the Tower. For one, she would be living among geniuses and superheroes. She had no place among them, that was for certain. Second, she didn't really _want_ to leave her apartment that she shared with Bethany. But when she shared that thought with her blond friend, she had immediately protested, saying that this was a once in a million opportunity! (Her friend may have also said something about sleeping with Captain America- not that Lovisa would, of course.)

Actually, Bethany had been quite insistent that she move in- much to Lovisa's surprise.

/

"Oh my god!" Bethany squealed, clapping her hands together, "You get to live in the _Avengers Tower_!" Bethany's excitement was almost tangible in the slightly humid apartment. A small grin started up on Lovisa's face, her friend's excitement infectious, but soon dropped.

"But I'll have to leave you!" Lovisa protested. She did _not_ want to leave her (one of few) friend. Bethany stood up, towering over Lovisa in her pink heels, with a stern expression on her face.

"You have to, and you're going to," Bethany commanded, her tone not leaving room for argument. Lovisa's mouth opened to say something. "And," Bethany continued, "This will _never_ happen again- you have a real chance here, Lovisa! You can't just waste it, saying that you want to live with me in our crappy apartment!" Lovisa's mouth snapped shut.

"It's not that crappy," she said sullenly after a moment. Bethany rolled her eyes at her brunette friend.

"Yes it is," she said dryly. "The shower leaks onto the floor, the walls are drafty, and the air conditioning is shot. Why would you want to live here?" She cried, throwing her arms out dramatically.

"I don't want to leave you!" Lovisa burst out. Bethany's expression softened, hugging her shorter friend, and wrapping her arms around Lovisa.

"I know," she said softly, "I'll miss you." Lovisa's eyes started to water, and she started to sniffle. In the seven years she'd known Bethany, they had bonded. They are almost inseparable, or so she thought.

"Besides," Bethany said soothingly, "I'll still see you. And you _have_ to invite me to see all the hot superheroes." Lovisa gave a watery chuckle at that.

"Don't worry, I will," she sniffled pathetically. Bethany let the brunette go after a moment, still holding her by her forearms.

"But think about this," Bethany continued mischievously, "You'll have a chance to sleep with Captain America. Hot damn."

"Bethany!" Lovisa exclaimed, blushing furiously and hitting her friend on the shoulder. Bethany just laughed, and soon Lovisa joined in, their tears disappearing.

/

"Alright," Lovisa sighed when she finally reached the correct floor. Her legs were only a little tired from walking up all those steps. _It's nothing compared to yesterday._ Egh. Walking up twelve flights of stairs was hard enough, imagine if she'd walked up all seventy-two! Luckily, Tony hadn't made her get lunch again today. That was good since she doubted Silver man would help her again.

The hallway was dark, considering it was about eleven o'clock at night. The seventy-fifth floor was spacious. Lovisa could tell that even though she hadn't seen most of the floor yet. The hallway was lined with doors, leading to other bedrooms. The occupied ones had gold nameplates on the outside. Idly, she read them, trying to find her own room.

 _ **Sam Wilson-**_ she listed them in her mind as she read them- _**Rhodey, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Jane Foster**_. Some of the names she recognized, some of them she didn't. But she knew that this was where the Avengers (occasionally) stayed. After all, most of the Avengers were gone, dispersed until the world needed them again. (Or until Tony threw a party.)

"Here we are," Lovisa murmured to herself when she found her nameplate. Opening the door, she flicked on the light. The room was spacious, much bigger than her old one. It was a bit too ostentatious for her liking, however. But she supposed that made sense considering it was decorated by _Tony Stark_. His very name was a synonym for ostentatious. Dumping her purse on the floor, she started putting everything away that hadn't yet. Tony had made sure that the majority of her stuff was already put away, but there were a few boxes that had yet to be unpacked.

Lovisa made quick work of everything- it was mainly just journals and notepads that she'd never used, but refused to give up. Standing up, she gazed critically around the room, making notes.

The walls were good, blue- her favorite color. The curtains were a bit much since they were lined with gold trim. Going over to the curtains, she pulled them open and gazed at the city below. Tony hadn't been lying, it was beautiful. New York certainly was the city that never slept. Lights from buildings glowed, and people were still milling about so late at night. Not that it really surprised her; but she would want to be in bed by now instead of walking around.

Stretching, Lovisa looked longingly at the bed. _Maybe it's time to go to bed…_ Wearily, she started to trudge her way over to it when her stomach growled loudly. Flushing pink, she put a hand over her stomach embarrassedly. _Oh right_. Lovisa hadn't eaten dinner, had she? She'd been too caught up in being in a lab again. Oops.

"Oh, stop it," she scolded the offending body part. It made no reply. Sighing, Lovisa grabbed her iPod and stuck her earbuds in her ears. She hit play before swiftly leaving her room, and closing her door behind her. _Time to find the kitchen…_ Easier said than done. Lovisa had no idea how to get to the kitchen, so she turned left, hoping to run into it.

It was only about fifteen minutes later that she made it to the kitchen. The upstairs was much bigger than she'd imagined. Flicking on the lights, Lovisa grimaced as her eyes accustomed to the glare. Soon after they did, her eyes widened.

"Hmm," Lovisa hummed in approval, gazing along the counters, "Impressive." The kitchen was decently large; big enough to cook large meals in, that's for certain. Humming along to the song, she opened the fridge and scanned the contents.

"Well-stocked, nice," Lovisa commented to herself, pulling out bread and ham. _Just something quick._ For all of her hunger, she was exhausted, and wanted to get back to bed as quickly as possible. Hunting for a knife, she made herself a sandwich. After she put everything away, she turned around tiredly and jumped a foot in the air when she saw the silver man.

"Silver man!" Lovisa exclaimed, clutching at her heart. Glaring at him, she pulled out her earbuds and stuffed them in her pocket. "You almost gave me a heart attack!" The silver man raised an eyebrow at her name for him.

"It's not my fault you weren't paying attention, slow girl," he retorted in his thick accent, ignoring her and heading to the fridge. Lovisa's eyebrow twitched at his nickname for her. Tearing a bite out of her sandwich, she chewed it vigorously. She slowly calmed down as he moved around the kitchen, and she watched him idly. Though it may not have been that idle, because she still took note of how his shirt lifted up just a _tiny_ bit, and you could see his abs. He caught her eye as she stared at him, and raised an eyebrow. Flushing, she looked away and continued eating.

Lovisa took note of the silver man's actions as he dug through the fridge. _He must be really hungry._ He took almost an entire half a pizza out. She wrinkled a brow when he started to eat rapidly. She took another bite of her sandwich.

"Are you always hungry like that?" She asked curiously, tilting her head. The silver man arched an eyebrow before swallowing.

"Yes," he answered bluntly, "Why do you ask, slow girl?" Lovisa shrugged.

"Just wondering," she answered honestly, "You have a really high metabolism, don't you?" Silver man looked at her suspiciously.

"Yes…" He answered, wondering where this was going. Lovisa nodded as her suspicious were confirmed.

"Since you're really fast," she started, referencing when he darted with her up sixty flights of stairs, "I just assumed you had a fast metabolism and that's why you eat so much." _And because no one can eat that much, and look that good,_ she thought silently, but she didn't dare say it aloud. It was the truth though, if she was honest. The silver man nodded slowly before continuing to eat all six slices of pizza in a matter of minutes.

"Wow," Lovisa said, impressed and slightly disgusted, "You eat quickly, Silver Man." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I do everything quickly, slow girl," he answered dryly, a corner of his mouth quirking up. Lovisa wrinkled her nose at his nickname. He got up from his place at the counter, getting ready to leave.

"I have a name you know," she spoke up as he was about to leave. He turned around and smirked at her.

"So do I," he retorted with a smirk, before leaving as quickly as he came. Lovisa smiled amusedly to herself at his response. Standing up, she sighed at the mess, and started putting everything away. That included everything Silver man left behind.

"You know," she grumbled to herself as she scrubbed his plate, "The least he could do is clean up after himself." Finishing quickly, she put everything back as she found it, and flicked the lights off before leaving. Wiping her hands on her jeans, Lovisa started making her way back to her room.

She managed it quicker than she had before, but still got lost easily. She suspected it would take several weeks before she learned her way around.

Entering her room, Lovisa sighed in contentment at the thought of going to bed. She was _way_ too tired- and that wasn't good, considering she was a scientist. She definitely was no Tony Stark, who had a record of going six days without sleeping. Albeit, he had to be admitted to the hospital afterwards, but it was a record nevertheless.

Striping off her jeans and t-shirt, Lovisa tossed them to the side and put on an over-sized t-shirt. Brushing her teeth, she got ready for bed in a daze of exhaustion. It seemed that her long day was finally catching up with her.

Turning out the lights, Lovisa sank into her bed, pulling the covers up to her nose. Instinctively, she reached out a hand for her childhood blanket and pulled it close to her. Sight contentedly, she was out like a light.

 **OMG, thank you all so much for your kind reviews! They really made my day! Also, thank you everyone for favoriting/following so much- I woke up to like forty emails. Thanks everyone, I hope you liked the chapter! (This fic is inspired by the fanfic Look at Them, go and read it!)**

 **Please R &R!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Pietro was unsure why he kept feeling the urge to see the slow girl again. After all, they'd only met twice, and they didn't even know each other's name. He had heard snippets of conversation about Tony hiring a third scientist, so he assumed that Slow Girl was it. She hadn't seemed like a genius- she had been trying to climb seventy-two flights of stairs- but Pietro knew that Tony wouldn't hire an idiot. She would have to be brilliant for Tony Stark to notice her. Pietro may not like the man, but he could admit that he had a knack for unlocking and finding brilliance in others.

But that girl… Pietro sighed as he stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around him. He ran his hands through his silver hair, shaking the water droplets out. She intrigued him, that he could admit. But why? He had no idea, she shouldn't- he barely knew her. _But there's something about her…_ His thoughts just kept repeating the same points over and over again, until he just gave up. _Perhaps a run will help…_ Cracking his neck, he got dressed in a literal flash.

With a singular focus in mind, Pietro dashed down the stairs for an early morning run.

/

Lovisa yawned widely when she woke up, covering her bleary eyes with the comforter. _Too early…_ Lovisa was not a morning person in any sense of the word. Glancing at the clock, she groaned when she saw it was almost seven. Two more hours until she had to be at the lab. She wished she could just go back to sleep, but she knew herself well enough to know that wasn't going to happen. _Ugh._ Sometimes she hated herself.

Groaning, she sat up, blinking in the early morning sun that shone through the windows. Blinking rapidly, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes before staggering out of bed.

"Ngh…" Lovisa let out a soft groan as she stretched. _Way too early…_ She stumbled out of her room- still in her oversized t-shirt- towards the kitchen. She desperately needed coffee. _Coffee, coffee, coffee._ She was still groggy from waking up, only able to focus on one thing at a time. Caffeine would soon fix that.

Luckily, there was no one in the kitchen when Lovisa entered it. Quickly, she brewed herself a pot of coffee and gulped it down quickly. Shivering slightly, goosebumps erupted on her arms as she rubbed her hands on the warm mug. _Still too early._ Even the caffeine only helped so much. Slowly but surely, she sipped her coffee and her tiredness receded until she felt she could interact with other humans. After washing her cup in the sink, Lovisa brushed back her hair out of her face. _Maybe a jog would help…_ She _did_ need to start exercising again. Especially if she needed to make it up seventy-two flights of stairs regularly. In any case, a jog wouldn't hurt anything. _Probably._

Still in the dregs of tiredness, Lovisa made it to her room and quickly changed, before making her way down seventy-five flights of stairs. It wasn't that bad considering she only had to go _down_ , but she refused to think about coming _up_ again. _That is going to suck…_ Shaking her head, Lovisa plugged into her iPod- automatically playing a fast song- and started jogging.

The fresh air invigorated her- as did being outside, surrounded by a park. Lovisa did well for several laps. (Apparently she wasn't as unfit as she had thought). But she kept seeing a blur of silver next to her and she felt wind coming from the side. It had happened a total of thirty-four times so far, and she was _positive_ it was coming from Silver Man.

The thirty-fifth time it passed her, Lovisa snapped at it, "Oh, would you stop it!"

"Stop what?" A voice with a Sokovian accent inquired from behind her. Lovisa jumped, spinning around. Silver man was standing behind her, even though she was positive he _just_ passed her. Glaring at him, Lovisa took her earbuds out.

"You scared me!" Lovisa protested in vain. Silver man arched an eyebrow into a wry expression.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't mean to?" He asked charmingly with a winning smile. Lovisa scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No." Silver Man shrugged.

"Fair enough," he answered, before starting to jog next to her again- albeit at a slower pace. Getting the message, Lovisa started to jog next to him.

"What are you doing out here?" Lovisa asked after a minute. Silver Man glanced at her.

"The same thing as you," he answered smartly, "Going for a run." Lovisa snorted.

"I can see that," she said dry, looking at his running clothes. He wore a long sleeved running shirt- that Lovisa had to admit he looked very good in- and long pants. Lovisa was wearing something similar, except a short sleeved shirt and shorts. She got quite warm while running, even though it was morning. "But why so early?" She questioned. Silver Man looked vaguely uncomfortable for a moment, looking away.

"Had to get away from my thoughts," he answered after a minute. Lovisa nodded understandingly.

"I couldn't sleep," Lovisa explained casually, "And I figured I need to get in shape if I'm going to have to make it up seventy-two flights of stairs again." _Or even more if I need to go to my new bedroom._ Ugh. This was getting ridiculous. Silver man apparently thought so too, because he looked at her incredulously.

"Why do you not just take the elevator?" He asked in disbelief, wondering if she was stupid. Well, obviously not since she was working with Stark- but why would she just not take the elevator? Lovisa slowed down, clearly uncomfortable. Silver man slowed down as well, intent on hearing her answer. Locked in a contest, they both slowed down until they were walking together.

"I don't like small spaces," Lovisa admitted, her eyes downcast, "And I was afraid if Tony found out, he wouldn't hire me." She looked up to see Silver Man looking down at her with an amused expression. "What?" She snapped, irritated. Silver Man chuckled at her, shaking his head.

"It's just," he laughed, "If you are as smart as the others have made you out to be, then I doubt Stark would care about your phobia." Lovisa scowled at his term, before considering it.

"I guess you're right," she admitted, turning her head away, "But what good would it do if he knew?" Silver Man rolled his eyes.

"For one," He said, dashing in front of her, so she was forced to halt in her tracks, "He could probably build something for you so you didn't _have_ to take the elevator, or rely on me to take you up seventy-two flights of stairs." Lovisa opened her mouth to protest, affronted.

"I do _not_ rely on you!" She scolded heavily, "I can do it myself." The silver man gave her an unbelieving look.

"Sure you can," he said dryly, "Just like you didn't almost pass out the last time you tried it." Lovisa huffed at him.

"It was only because it was my first time," she protested, "Once I get back into shape I'll be able to do it easily." Silver Man arched an eyebrow.

"You should still tell Stark," he urged, "And trust me, you will not be able to go up all those stairs every day, Slow Girl." Lovisa wrinkled her nose in distaste at that.

"Fine." She let out a breath, defeated. Stepping back, Silver Man started walking lightly next to her. They strode in peace for a few minutes, and Lovisa looked around the park. It was large and sheltered with trees, the shade blocking most of the rising sun. The track in it was about the size of a football field. The two of them walked in a comfortable silence.

"I never did thank you for helping me up all those stairs," Lovisa said, breaking the silence. Silver Man looked at her, a slight smile on his face.

"You're welcome," he answered courteously, "It was no trouble." Lovisa laughed humorously.

"I never thought it was," she said, laughing, "Considering how fast you are." Silver Man smirked.

"It's not me who is fast," he teased, "It's you who is slow, Slow Girl." Lovisa wrinkled her nose, before grinning at him.

"I'm pretty sure that I move at a normal pace," she retorted, "You move at the speed of friggin' light!" Silver Man gave a half-grin.

"Faster, actually," he boasted immodestly. Lovisa's eyebrows shot up.

"Wait, really?" She demanded, turning her head to face him. Her eyes were wide with shock. _How is that even possible? Yes, he has a mutation- or superpower, whatever you want to call it- but faster than the speed of light? That's supposed to be impossible?_ Little did she know that 'impossible' was one of the main characteristics of the silver man. The silver man nodded in response to her question, unaware of her whirring thoughts.

"Trust me," he said dryly, "Stark made _absolutely_ sure." Stark had done a ridiculous amount of testing on him- almost entirely for his entertainment, he was sure. Lovisa's jaw dropped open at the fact that her _boss_ had confirmed how fast he moved.

"That's amazing!" Lovisa exclaimed, looking at him with new respect. _Apparently Silver Man is more than just an annoying mutant, he's impossible!_ They walked together, passing the fountain. They had already walked an entire lap without their knowledge because they'd been too busy talking.

"Oh crap!" Lovisa exclaimed, looking at her watch. It was a quarter to nine- when she had to be at the lab. "I have to get back to the lab!" She started to rush towards the Avengers Tower. Silver Man jogged after her, keeping up with no trouble.

"What time do you have to be there?" He asked. Lovisa puffed with the effort of sprinting.

"Nine," she answered shortly, wanting to conserve air. _Wow, I'm so out of shape…_ Well, that's what she got for staying indoors and studying all day. Good grades usually came at cost to your (mental and physical) health. Silver Man's eyebrows shot up.

"I can help you get there," he offered casually. Lovisa stopped mid-step in her running to look at him suspiciously.

"Really?" She asked. He nodded in confirmation.

"Of course," he answered. Hesitantly, Lovisa nodded. In a flash, she could feel something pressing against her back and wrapped around her front. Air rushed over her and she felt like screaming. Whether in joy or fear, she did not know. And just as quickly as it happened, it stopped. By the time they stopped, Lovisa was standing on her floor- in front of her door- panting. Turning to Silver Man, she was almost surprised when he was still there.

"Thank you," she said after she straightened up. Silver Man smiled before turning to leave again.

"Wait!" Lovisa exclaimed. With a curious look on his face, Silver Man turned to face her again. Lovisa flushed slightly from embarrassment. "I never got your name," she admitted. Silver Man smiled at her, chuckling.

"Pietro Maximoff," he answered, taking one of her hands and kissing it quickly. Lovisa jolted at the gesture, unused to it, but she settled down almost immediately. "And you?" Pietro asked with a quizzical expression. Lovisa smiled at him.

"Lovisa," she answered, "Lovisa Spen." Pietro grinned at her, the corners of his mouth quirking up.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he smirked. Lovisa's eyes widened in surprise. _Did he just flirt with me?_ He did… Lovisa chuckled.

"Not so bad yourself," she retorted. _…And did I just flirt back?_ Apparently so. Pietro laughed.

"I'll see you soon, Lovisa," Pietro promised. A corner of Lovisa's mouth quirked up.

"Stay out of trouble," she teased. He smirked.

"Never." He nodded at her in goodbye before leaving, leaving her alone in the hallway. After a moment of standing there in a haze, she went inside her room to get changed. Taking a quick shower in record time, she got dressed in casual clothes for the lab and left.

Ignoring the elevator again, she passed right by it for the stairs. Hopping down the rest of the stairs, she made it to the lab with three minutes to spare.

"Hello Bruce," she greeted as she entered. The bespectacled scientist nodded at her amiably. "Hello Tony."

"Good morning, sunshine!" Tony greeted. He spun around in his swivel chair to face her. He looked like he was surviving off of pure adrenaline and coffee. His eyes were bloodshot, and his usually stylish hair was disheveled. Lovisa rolled her eyes at him. _Another all nighter for Tony, it seems._

"Why do you look so happy?" Tony asked suspiciously. Lovisa looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Lovisa questioned.

"You're smiling," Tony said, standing up and tinkering with the thing he was working on, "You almost never smile. You usually just say, 'Tony, stop doing that!', or 'Tony, you have to eat something', or 'Tony-" Lovisa cut off his caffeine induced rant.

"Okay, okay, okay-" She blurted, wanting to stop him. Well, she definitely wasn't smiling now. "I get it. I'm just happy, okay?" Tony looked at her suspiciously, before letting it go.

"Hmph. Fine." He turned back to his work, and Bruce shot her an apologetic look. She nodded to reassure him it was alright.

"Oh, also," Lovisa started nervously, "I have something to tell you." Her tone got the attention of both scientists.

"Yes, Lovisa?" Bruce asked kindly, taking off his glasses.

"I- I have a fear of elevators and small spaces," she said in a rush, as if that would make it better, "I just thought you should know." The room was silent and her dread increased. _What if Pietro was wrong? What if they kicked her out? She wouldn't have another job!_

"Wait," Tony started, pointing at her, "Then how have you been getting up and down from here?" Lovisa looked at him nervously.

"Walking?" She phrased it like a question. Tony's eyes widened to comic proportions.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed, clutching his heart, "You must have some _really_ strong legs." Lovisa shrugged, not revealing her encounters with Pietro. For some reason, she didn't want them to know.

"It's not bad," she answered honestly. Well, it wasn't when a mutant with super speed helped you.

"I'll make you something so you don't have to climb all those stairs," Tony insisted, turning back to his station and getting started right away. While he tinkered with wires, Lovisa felt her uneasiness melt away. Glancing at Bruce, she saw him giving her a soft smile. Turning to her own station with a smile, she got to work with one thought in her mind. That Pietro Maximoff may have just given her hope.

 **Hello, sorry this is semi-late. I had a load of finals and a ballet recital that went on for three days. Ugh. Anyway, thank you all so much for your favorites/follows and your kind reviews! They made my day! (Also, this is officially my most followed story. Probably because there isn't a whole lot of Pietro/OC yet…) Thank you everyone! (This fic is inspired by the fanfic Look at Them, go and read it!** )

 **Please R &R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: This Chapter was greatly inspired by the fic Look at Them. I liked that idea and got the idea for this chapter from it, and I apologize for any ideas that leak onto this chapter**

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"So, Lo, have you ever dated anyone before?" Tony asked, much to the irritation of Lovisa. Lovisa's eyebrow twitched as she scowled at him. Tony was acting even stranger than normal today. In addition to trying out ridiculous nicknames, he was almost constantly asking her personal questions. Had it been anyone else, she would have been affronted. But with Tony, she was just suspicious.

"…Not really…" Lovisa answered suspiciously, gazing at him. _What's he planning…_ She wouldn't put anything past Tony Stark.

"Really?" Tony asked, shocked. He held his hand to his chest, like he was personally offended on her behalf. Lovisa sighed.

"Well, yeah- of course I did. But it was never really serious," she expanded, rolling her eyes as she turned to face him. Her light brown hair was up in a ponytail to get it out of the way. Tony groaned aloud, striding around the counter.

"Never once have you been interested in the opposite sex?" Tony asked incredulously, peering at her through the pane of glass that separated the counters. Lovisa sent a questioning gaze towards Bruce, but he just shrugged as if to say 'I've got nothing'. Sighing, Lovisa rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I've been too busy for much of that," she answered Tony wearily. She was worn out from dealing with him all day. Tony sighed at her, gesturing wildly with his arms.

"Come on, Liz, you've gotta give me something here!" Tony exclaimed, "Come on, did you ever go hang out at the library, see a movie, go on romantic dinners… Anything?" Tony deflated as she repeatedly shook her head.

"Wait," Lovisa said, as a thought struck her. Tony perked up almost immediately. "There was one boy who took me on a date in the park for a picnic and to the national library, but that was really it." Tony deflated again.

"Good god, Lizzy," Tony said, rolling his eyes, "That's like the most boring thing I've ever heard! You really haven't lived at all, have you?" Lovisa scowled at him.

"Of course I have!" She exclaimed, affronted. "I just value education and learning more than dating- and there's nothing wrong with that!" Bruce nodded in affirmation while Tony arched an eyebrow.

"But you don't do anything _other_ than that!" Tony supplied, gesturing at her with his hands. Lovisa huffed in frustration at him.

"I do other things!" She protested before cutting off abruptly when Tony got a crafty smile on his face. "What…?" She eyes him warily.

"I know how you can prove it," Tony said gloatingly. Lovisa's brow wrinkled. _…What does he mean…?_ She had to be careful now, this was Tony, after all. Who knows what kind of idiotic plan his genius mind could've concocted.

"Have dinner with the rest of us," he said matter of factly. Lovisa looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"What." Yes, she'd met Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, but the others? Bruce was a very quiet person normally, save for when he turned into the Hulk. He wasn't a very threatening or intimidating person, even though he was brilliant. And Tony… Well, he was Tony. Stark was arrogant, yes, but he wasn't intimidating once you knew him for fifteen minutes. But the others? She was nothing like them.

"Yeah, the other Avengers are coming to town for a get together tonight. It'll be fun," Tony said casually. Lovisa's jaw dropped open.

"We have very different definitions of fun," she managed to squeak out. The OTHER AVENGERS?! She couldn't possibly be around them and act even remotely normally. For one, most of them could kill her easily. Second, she was NOTHING like them, why would they even want her there? They wouldn't, end of story. There was nothing connecting her world with theirs. _Well… There is one thing…_ Lovisa shook her head, ridding her mind of that thought. _Not now._ Or ever, she tacked on.

"What if I don't want to?" Lovisa asked after she cleared her head. Tony arched an eyebrow.

"You just said you 'do other things'," Tony said, throwing her words back at her, "Prove it." Lovisa gritted her teeth, balling her hands into fists. _Like that's going to stop me._ Who cares if her pride took a beating? Unlike Tony, she cared little for it. Sometimes _too_ little, in fact. Seeing that Lovisa was going to take more convincing, Tony went on. " _And_ ," Tony added, "I'll give you a day off to explore the city, and I'll fund it completely and give you a chauffeur." Now that was an offer she couldn't refuse. Even after living in New York for two years, she hadn't actually _been_ anywhere.

"Fine," she said grudgingly. Tony's face lit up like he was a five year old at Christmas. "Now, will you let me get back to work without any more interruptions?" Tony hastily agreed as she turned her back to him. _…I'm going to regret this, aren't I?_

~o0o~

Yes, yes she was. Lovisa was standing by the stairs in dark skinny jeans and a flowy top, feeling ridiculously uncomfortable. Not because her clothes were uncomfortable to wear, but because she feared she dressed too casual. Tony and Bruce had both assured her that they all dressed casual, but she was still anxious about it. It was a stupid thing to worry about, but that didn't seem to matter to her brain.

"Hey, Liza," Tony greeted. True to his word, he dressed casually. He was dressed in jeans and a black shirt, the sleeves rolled up. Bruce was dressed like a professor at her old university in a button up and slacks. Tony snapped his fingers, getting a look of realization.

"Viz!" He exclaimed, "That's your nickname!" Lovisa looked at him with a long-suffering stare.

"That's fantastic, Tony," she said dryly. In all actuality, she actually kind of liked his nickname for her. She thought it was kind of nice.

Once they were all together, they started climbing up the stairs without any discussion. Tony was still working on something that would allow her to use the stairs and avoid the elevator without taking hours. Luckily she hadn't needed to go down to ground level yet. Going from her room down to the lab wasn't that bad, and besides- she needed the exercise.

When they reached the seventy-fifth floor, Lovisa was practically shaking with nervousness.

"Hey," Tony said, taking her by the shoulder. Startled, Lovisa looked up at him with wide eyes. "Everything will be fine," he reassured. Lovisa's shock faded away slowly as a smile grew on her face.

"Thank you," she said appreciatively.

"Besides, they won't be paying attention to you," Tony continued self-absorbedly. Lovisa's smile fell off her face.

"Thanks, Tony," she responded dryly, shaking his hand off her shoulder. She had to bite a grin back at his words, though. Even though the words themselves weren't in the slightest comforting, they make her feel better somehow. They made their way to the center living room-esque area, near the kitchen. Seated on the couch were several people that Lovisa recognized immediately. Of those was Captain America, Pepper, Natasha Romanoff, Thor, and Clint Barton. But there were several others that she didn't recognize. Lovisa immediately felt small in the presence of such powerful heroes.

The only 'heroes' she'd been around had been Bruce and Tony, and neither of them _acted_ like heroes. Bruce acted like a nerdy scientist, and Tony acted like an ass most of the time. But even though both of them were Avengers, they never made her feel uncomfortable around them. _Well_ , Lovisa corrected in her mind, _Tony did sometimes, but that was just Tony being Tony._ Not Iron Man.

As they entered, all eyes turned to them. Lovisa shifted uncomfortably under their gazes as Tony put his hand on her shoulder. He rubbed her shoulder gently as if to reassure her. She bit back a soft smile at the fatherly action.

"Hey everybody," Tony announced, "This is out new science buddy, Viz."

"Lovisa," she corrected as he insisted on using his newest nickname for her.

"Whatever," Tony said, rolling his eyes and removing his hand from her shoulder. Right as she shot him a glare, Natasha stood up and greeted her.

"Nice to finally meet you, Lovisa, I'm Natasha. Tony's told us a lot about you," she greeted warmly, holding out her hand. Lovisa took it after a moment's hesitation.

"Thank you," Lovisa answered courteously, "I've heard about you all." Not necessarily because Tony told her, but just because all of the news centered on the Avengers and Shield lately. It was pretty much the only story that was covered anymore. After shaking her hand, Natasha introduced her to the rest of the group.

"This is Clint," she introduced. Clint greeted her with a miniature salute. "Maria, Sam, Steve, and Thor." Upon hearing their names, both Steve and Thor stood up to shake her hand. Thor did a little too enthusiastically, and Lovisa's arm hurt afterwards. Her plastered grin on her face bit by bit became real, and less faked.

"It's nice to meet you all," Lovisa said with a smile. Her arms were tense at her sides, still not completely comfortable. At Tony's insistence, she sat down on the couch while the others chattered. She kept a smile plastered on her face, not wanting to seem unfriendly.

"So, Lovisa," Pepper started with a kind smile, "What took you so long to join us?" Lovisa glanced at Tony. She didn't just want to outright say, _Tony blackmailed me into it_ , but there wasn't really another way of putting it.

"I- uh, Tony invited me," she half-lied, "He thought it was a good idea since the Avengers would be in town." Pepper and the others apparently saw right through her excuse.

"Tony forced you, didn't he?" Natasha asked dryly. Lovisa blushed as she shifted in her seat.

"…Perhaps…" Lovisa answered. Everyone turned to stare accusingly at Tony.

"What?" He demanded innocently, gesturing widely with his arms. "I just thought it would be good for the girl to get out!" Pepper sighed at him and rolled her eyes.

"Nevertheless," Pepper continued to Lovisa, "We're glad you're here." Lovisa nodded with a slight smile. She started fiddling with the turquoise ring on her finger out of habit.

"Lovisa," Steve started curiously. Lovisa looked at him, instantly remembering Bethany talking about sleeping with him. He fought the urge to blush at the memory. "When did you graduate from college?" Lovisa answered promptly.

"Eighteen," she answered without having to think about it, "Two years after I graduated high school." Steve's eyebrows shot up.

"Wow," he commented, leaning back in his chair and taking a swig out of a bottle. "Pretty impressive." Tony looked almost offended.

"Hey!" He protested, glaring at Steve. "I graduated from MIT at age seventeen, and you didn't say anything!" Steve rolled his eyes at his friend and sighed.

"That's because you're an ass," Steve retorted, causing almost everyone to fake gasp at his swearing. Lovisa rolled her eyes at them.

"Why do you all make such a big deal about his swearing?" Lovisa questioned, thinking about all the times Tony had made her put money in the 'Swear Jar'. She was beginning to hate that thing. "He was in the army- _in the forties!_ " Everyone looked at her, surprised, and she started to regret speaking.

" _Thank you!_ " Steve said appreciatively, "I don't think anyone else here understands that!" Tony sighed bitterly and rolled his eyes.

"That's because you're Mr. Perfect-clean-mouth, and when anyone else swears, you say 'Language'," Tony said snarkily. Steve sighed and collapsed backwards into his chair.

"That was one time!" Lovisa bit back a smile at his response and the others continued talking to one another, excited at being all together again. Even though that the last time they were all together, Tony managed to almost start World War 3. Lovisa was perfectly content to sit back, and let them all enjoy each other's company. That was until the door opened, revealing three more guests.

"Oh, hello everyone!" Pepper greeted, standing up to usher them in. Once they were inside, Lovisa could finally see them. Of the trio, she instantly recognized Pietro and his side smirk when he saw her. The side of her mouth curved into a half-smile at his action. Beside him, was a man (Android?) who was red and had a gold gem in his forehead. There was also a brunette girl talking animatedly to the android. She had several of the same features as Pietro, leading Lovisa to believe they were related. Lovisa- busy looking at the newcomers- didn't notice the crafty gleam in Tony's eyes.

"Lovisa, this is Pietro," Pepper introduced, gesturing towards the silver-haired man. Lovisa stood up to stand beside Pepper while she made introductions.

"I know," Lovisa interrupted, "We've met." Behind her, Tony's eyebrows shot up and his face filled with a childish glee. Pietro smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"You have?" Pepper asked, surprised. Lovisa nodded in confirmation.

"He… helped me up seventy-two flights of stairs." Pepper looked confusedly at the younger girl, but didn't say anything.

"And this is his twin sister, Wanda," she continued, "And Vision." Lovisa shook Wanda's hand, smiling at her. Wanda responded enthusiastically, apparently happy to have a female about her age around. Vision shook her hand politely, and Lovisa didn't really know what to make of the android. Wanda seemed quite attached to him, however.

"Nice to meet you all," Lovisa said warmly as they moved over to the couch. As they were about to sit down, Tony forced her into a different seat, right next to Pietro. When Lovisa looked at him confusedly, he just looked back innocently.

"What?" He asked innocently, "I just thought you'd be more comfortable there." Lovisa didn't buy his bullshit, but just sighed and went along with it. _Better not fight him on anything when he's acting weird like this…_ Then again, that was usually her policy on dealing with Tony Stark. Turning back to the twins, she smiled at them again as the others resumed their conversations.

"Sorry about him today, I don't know why he's acting weird," Lovisa apologized. It had been going on all day, even in the lab! Wanda laughed.

"Don't worry," she reassured, her accent just as thick as her brother's, "We've gotten used to Stark's mood swings."

"Really?" Lovisa asked, surprised, "I didn't think anyone could get used to them." Pietro laughed at that, and she decided that she liked the sound.

"We've gotten used to them as best we can," Pietro replied dryly. Lovisa chuckled as they sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the others.

"So, Lovisa," Wanda asked, "What do you do around her?" Lovisa shifted in her seat, preparing to answer.

"I work with Tony and Bruce in the lab," she answered.

"Don't you get tired of it?" Wanda asked curiously. "I doubt I could work with Stark for long." Lovisa shrugged.

"He is annoying most of the time," she admitted, "But it's fun being in the lab. And besides, Bruce will help me deal with Tony most of the time." Wanda nodded.

"What made you want to be a scientist?" Pietro questioned. Lovisa's brow wrinkled as she thought about it.

"I don't really know," Lovisa admitted after a minute, "I was actually debating between being a writer or a scientist for a long time." Pietro and Wanda seemed surprised by the two completely different careers.

"Why a writer?" Wanda asked. Lovisa shrugged, raising a shoulder.

"I love English," Lovisa said, "But I eventually gave up on it, because it wouldn't make for a very steady career. Besides, I love learning, and with science that's pretty much all you do." Pietro nodded at her answer.

"What about you?" Lovisa questioned, "What do you do around here?" Pietro certainly seemed to be around her a lot of the time, but what was he doing? Besides running into her, of course.

"We help out Shield when they need us," Pietro answered casually, leaning back into his seat on the couch. He stretched and rested his arms on the back of the couch. "Which is a lot," he boasted. Wanda rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Don't get a big head," she scolded, "You _did_ almost get shot last time." Pietro gave a long suffering sigh.

"But I _didn't_ ," he retorted, "Besides, I have super healing."

"That doesn't mean you're immortal!" Wanda snapped. Lovisa let a smile grace her lips at the friendly bickering. She could tell they care a lot for one another.

"Hey, guys!" Tony announced, standing up and clapping his hands, "Let's go to the lab for grownup talk!" Everyone broke out in murmurs and confusion.

"What?" Steve asked, confused.

"Come on, Capsicle," Tony said snarkily, "Head up!" Reluctantly, the others started following him and heading up towards the lab. But when Lovisa and the twins stood up, Tony protested. "No, not you!" Tony snapped, pointing at them. "This is grownup time!" Confused, Lovisa started to slow lower herself back down with a wrinkled brow.

"Tony, what is this about?" Clint grumbled, still upset about moving rooms.

"Tell you when we get there, birdman," Tony answered, "Come on, let's go!" The adults slowly trickled out of the room until it was just Lovisa and the twins.

"What was that about?" Lovisa wondered out loud. Pietro shrugged.

"Who knows what Stark is thinking," he answered, "Or what drugs he's on." Lovisa snickered at the second part.

"True," she agreed, nodding in affirmation. As the continued to talk, Lovisa slowly but surely grew attach to both twins. She thought that Wanda would make a wonderful friend, especially considering how few females there were in the tower. And how few that were around their age. And Lovisa grew even more fond of Pietro, who she caught herself eyeing at times. She liked the twins, she decided. Wanda was obviously the more sensible of the two, and Pietro the more passionate. He felt strongly about things, and seemed impatient all the time. Though, she didn't really blame him since he had super speed. She could only imagine what it must be like for him.

They continued to talk animatedly for several more hours while the rest of the Avengers held a secret meeting in the lab.

~o0o~

"You what!" Clint demanded after Tony explained his plan for Lovisa and the twins. "You can't just do that!" Clint had become fond of the twins after Ultron, and had metaphorically taken them under his wing. Tony sighed at his 'closed minded' friends.

"Oh come on- just think about it!" He exclaimed, "It would be perfect! Witchy gets a best friend, and Speedy gets a girlfriend. It's not a bad thing!"

"Lovisa can't just be like a _reward_ for good behavior!" Natasha protested throatily. "You can't just use people like encouragement treats for dogs!"

"He's actually got a point," Pepper admitted, much to the shock of the others. Everyone's gaze turned to her.

"I mean," she went on to say, "The twins don't have anyone near their age, they deserve some normal in their life. This isn't necessarily a _bad_ thing, but I don't think we should force them into relationships." The others started to relax once Pepper had spoken. They all trusted her word more than Tony's any day.

"Alright," Clint said grudgingly. "But if I see you forcing anything on anybody," he continued, pointing at Tony, "I will put a stop to all of this." Tony nodded in affirmation.

"Done," he said smugly. His plan was in action.

~o0o~

By the time the Avengers made it back to the trio, they were all laughing and having a good time. Tony threw a smug look towards the others behind him, as if to say 'I told you so'. Clint shot him a glare, reminding him of his earlier threat.

"What do you mean you haven't read Harry Potter!" Lovisa exclaimed while laughing. "Harry Potter is amazing!" Lovisa was in the process of making a list of things that Pietro and Wanda had to see. Neither of them had seen very many things, but she supposed that came with growing up in the middle of a war area in a small country. They'd been having a lot of fun without the others for the past few hours.

"Good to see that you guys have been having fun," Pepper said with a slight smirk on her face. She could admit, she agreed with Tony on this one. Pietro and Lovisa would make a cute couple.

"You should probably be getting to bed," Tony said to Lovisa, glancing at the time, "Especially since you're getting a tour day of New York tomorrow." Lovisa's jaw dropped as she remembered that fact. She had forgotten that she had been blackmailed into this. It had been a lot of fun!

"Oh shit," she cursed, looking at the time. It was past one in the morning. "You're right!" Quickly turning to Wanda and Pietro, she grinned at them. "I had a lot of fun with you two tonight," she said honestly, "Can't wait to do it again!" Wanda returned her grin with equal vigor, hugging her new friend. Lovisa hugged her back just as tightly. Both were glad to have made a new friend. When Wanda let go, Lovisa turned to Pietro.

Pietro didn't hug her as Wanda did, but instead kissed her hand.

"I had a lovely evening," he said charmingly, "I'll see you soon." Lovisa recovered after her blush quickly.

"You too," she greeted courteously before leaving to go to sleep. Unbeknownst to both of them, all of the Avengers were closely monitoring their movements. Behind Pietro, Tony shot Clint a triumphant smirk.

 **Hey guys, thanks for all the favorites/follows/reviews! They really made my day! (I'm really sorry if this chapter isn't all that great with grammar/punctuation, it's late but I want to update. I'll read through it completely tomorrow!)**

 **Please R &R!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lovisa was woken abruptly from her sleep by her door slamming open, banging against the wall. Groggily, she lifted her head to see who it was. When she finally managed to open her eyes against the sudden light, she stared quizzically. It was Pietro.

"Pietro?" She asked confusedly. _It's too early for this._ The silver haired man grinned.

"Yep, good morning Lovisa!" He exclaimed cheerfully, yanking the covers off of her. She winced at his loud volume. Lovisa's eyes widened and she made a desperate attempt to yank her t-shirt down farther. Luckily, she succeeded in time. Pietro's eyes widened just a fraction, but she didn't notice. Still groggy, Lovisa sat up and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"It's too early for you talking that loudly," she told him grouchily. Pietro deflated slightly, sitting on the side of her bed. The mattress dipped under his weight, making her shift towards him.

"Sorry!" He said in a hushed voice. He was still talking loudly, even though he was making an effort to whisper.

"Why are you in here?" Lovisa demanded, aggravated, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Pietro grinned at her, all previous thoughts gone.

"You get to go around New York, and I will be your tour guide for today," he said cheerfully. Lovisa's brow wrinkled as she remembered last night.

"What?" She asked confusedly. "But I thought…" Lovisa had thought that she would be going on her own. Why was Pietro going with her? Pietro arched an eyebrow, a wry smirk on his face.

"Stark suggested it," he rumbled in his thick accent, "He thought you would need help getting around the city- and I was happy to volunteer." Lovisa scowled at him, her nose wrinkling.

"Somehow, I don't doubt that," she said dryly. Pietro smirked at her and laughed before bounding up to stand.

"Get dressed, we start at eight sharp," he ordered. Lovisa rolled her eyes after him as he left. Hopping up from bed, she obeyed and got dressed in comfortable clothes _._ This was her first day in the city, she didn't want to waste it by getting blisters on her feet from uncomfortable shoes. _Well,_ she amended, _first_ real _day anyway_. Quickly grabbing her bag, Lovisa tossed her old flip phone into it. Opening the door, she glanced at Pietro, who was standing impatiently by the door.

"You're so slow," he whined. Lovisa rolled her eyes at the silver man-child.

"Everyone's slow to you," she retorted, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She was still groggy from being woken up so harshly.

"Come on," Pietro ordered impatiently, "Follow me." He started down the hallway at a fast pace- though no where near the pace she knew he could go. Lovisa rushed after him, trying to keep up with his longer strides.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, "I'm short, you're going to have to walk faster." Pietro slowed down a little, albeit grudgingly.

" _Fine_ ," he sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. Lovisa felt a brief sense of irritation before she caught up with him. Lovisa puffed as she jogged beside Pietro towards the stairs.

"Why are we going this early?" Lovisa asked between breaths. Pietro looked at her sideways.

"I thought you would appreciate an early start," Pietro answered with a slight grin. Lovisa smiled back.

"You were right," she commented smoothly. Pietro smiled in satisfaction. "Mostly," Lovisa added. Pietro looked at her in confusion as Lovisa turned to stare him down. "Listen closely, if you _ever_ wake me up like that again, I will hurt you, do you understand?" She asked with a smile plastered on her face. Pietro looked halfway between being frightened and wanting to laugh. With the conflicting emotions on his face, he glanced away from her as they reached the stairs, not answering her question.

Without warning, Pietro's arms snaked around her and held her tight to his chest. She shut her eyes as they hurtled down seventy-five flights of stairs. At the bottom, Pietro let go of her, but Lovisa clung to his arm, still feeling woozy.

"That… was fast…" Lovisa stated, her head spinning. "How do you get used to that?" _It's too early for moving that quickly…_ Pietro's face was split open by a grin.

"You didn't see that coming?" He questioned with a quirk of his brow. Lovisa looked at him confusedly before shaking her head. Allowing a soft grin to tug at her lips, she followed after Pietro and continued out of the tower.

"So," Lovisa started with a grin, once they were outside the building, "Where are we going first?" Pietro looked at her with a mischievous smirk.

"I was thinking have breakfast first and we can discuss our schedule," Pietro answered, his accent slurring the words. _Oh the curse of having an attractive accent… Well, curse to me._ She had to blink several times to hear what he said.

"Where are we having breakfast?" She questioned.

"Steve told Wanda about a bagel place on the street over," he answered with a grin. Lovisa nodded absent-mindedly. _Sounds like a good start._ They walked together in the small cafe he had mentioned and got a table near the back. There weren't many people in it, but the ones that were kept glancing at them. It took her a moment to realize that they were looking at Pietro because he was an Avenger. Still, the staring wasn't as much as it would've been had it been Tony or Steve. Pietro was obviously not as well known as the others- most likely because he was fairly recent. Well, from what she'd heard from the others.

"So…" She started, glancing at the small menu, "What do you recommend?" Pietro glanced at it briefly.

"Wanda loved the cheddar ones, she brought some home for me a couple weeks ago," Pietro mused. Lovisa quirked an eyebrow, before nodding in assent. Looking to the side, Lovisa smiled at the waitress heading to their table.

"Hello, is there anything I can get for you today?" She asked with a grin plastered on her face. Lovisa beamed back at the dirty blond.

"Yes," she said politely, "I'll have two cheddar bagels and lemonade." Their waitress smiled at her before jotting down what she wanted in a small notebook.

"And you?" She questioned, directing her question towards Pietro.

"I will have…" Pietro ordered a large platter of cheese, bagels, and sausages. When he was done listing, Lovisa looked at him in astonishment.

"How does one person eat that much?" She questioned, aghast. Pietro smirked at her, closing his menu to give to the waitress. When she left to go give the order to the chef, he answered.

"I'm always hungry," Pietro said nonchalantly. Lovisa's brow furrowed as she worked it out in her head.

"I knew your metabolism was fast… but not _that_ fast…" Lovisa murmured, gazing at him in half admiration/half wonder. Pietro seemed to like the attention because he smirked at her.

"Is there anywhere in particular that you want to go to today?" Pietro questioned, leaning on the table with his elbows propped up. Lovisa wrinkled her brow and pondered on it.

"I've always wanted to go to the Science and Industry Museum," Lovisa suggested. An amused grin lit Pietro's face and he chuckled. Lovisa momentarily glared at him.

"What?" She demanded, thinking he was poking fun at her. It wasn't like it was all that uncommon for people (mainly men) to mock her chosen profession. In this society, women still were expected to choose other 'more suitable' careers. Pietro shook his head, dissuading her from that thought.

"I was just surprised that you hadn't been there yet. It seems to me that you would want to go there the first day you got here," Pietro commented, his accent stressing the first syllable of his words. Lovisa's eyebrows shot up at his words, surprised. Feeling distinctly embarrassed and uncomfortable, she fidgeted with her ring. _…That was actually kind of nice._ Lovisa cleared her throat as the waitress came by, delivering their drinks. Lovisa gratefully took a sip of her lemonade through her straw, trying to ignore Pietro's searching eyes. He was looking at her amusedly, like she was a small animal who was slightly feral.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Lovisa demanded, setting her lemonade down on the glass covered table with a clatter. She winced slightly at the sound she created, but straightened afterwards. "It's very distracting." Pietro arched an eyebrow.

"Distracting you say?" He inquired slyly. "That's something I would _never_ do." A smile tugged at Lovisa's lips right before their food arrived.

"Thank you Miss," Lovisa said politely to the waitress.

"No problem," she answered, walking away. Lovisa started to ravenously eat her bagel, she was _starving_. However, her hunger was nothing compared to Pietro's. Pietro ate as fast as he ran, shoving food in his mouth- forkful after forkful. Lovisa felt vaguely disgusted at his eating pace, but equally fascinated by it.

"You eat like a pig," Lovisa commented. Pietro choked on his food.

"My apologies," he said courteously after swallowing. Lovisa just chuckled.

"I don't really care," Lovisa said carelessly, taking another bite of her bagel. "I was just stating the obvious." Pietro narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hmph." They finished their meal in silence, each too busy eating to talk to the other. Pietro finished long before her, even though she ordered a lot less.

"Alright," Pietro said after she finished, "To the museum!" Lovisa grinned at him. They split the bill after a long argument- and tipped the waitress. Leaving, they headed down the right for three blocks.

"Oh. My. God," Lovisa breathed in wonder when they arrived at the entrance. The building was huge! Not as big as the Stark Tower, of course. But big enough. Lovisa couldn't _wait_ to get in there.

"Hold on, hold on," Pietro laughed, holding Lovisa by the end of her jacket. _Ugh._ She wanted to get in there, but unfortunately, they had to wait in a long line to get tickets first. Lovisa distastefully eyed the large swarm of people all waiting to get tickets.

"Do we _have_ to go in there?" Lovisa asked. Pietro rolled his eyes at her.

"Of course not," he said offhandedly, "I have tickets right here." He held out two white tickets to the museum. Lovisa brightened.

"Awesome!" She cheered, "Let's go!" As she started to run off again, Pietro yanked her back by the hood of her jacket.

"Ugh," she groaned, "What now?" Pietro shook his head amusedly at her impatience before holding out two purple wristbands.

"We have to wear these first," Pietro answered amusedly, efficiently putting the band on Lovisa's wrist. "There," he said satisfactorily after he was done, "Now you can go." Lovisa was off like a shot, bounding towards the nearest exhibit. Pietro laughed at her eagerness before catching up to her quickly.

"This is so cool!" Lovisa gushed, looking at the exhibit. From what Pietro could tell, it was going on about something with magnets and static electricity. Even though he _knew_ that Lovisa already knew this, she still seemed to be fascinated by it. Pietro continued to follow Lovisa around with an amused smile on his face. She was like an excited puppy, going back and forth between exhibits. Lovisa was pretty much ignoring him, but Pietro thought it was worth it to see her so excited. After all, she seemed fairly quiet- though she may just be that way around him. He hoped it wasn't him, at least.

"Next floor?" Lovisa asked hopefully after coming back to him. It had been little more than an hour, and she had already seen everything on the first floor.

"Of course, my dear," Pietro answered, grinning. He couldn't say no to those beautiful green eyes. Who could? Lovisa's face lit up in a smile.

"Awesome!" She exclaimed before grabbing his wrist, "Come on!" Pietro allowed himself to be dragged by the much smaller girl, gaining some strange looks from the other visitors. Not that he really cared and Lovisa was too preoccupied to notice. After she ignored the elevator and walked past it, she started running up the stairs. Though even she noticed how winded she got when she reached the top. Leaning on the wall for a second, she panted, regaining lost breath.

"Alright then," Lovisa said, straightening up, "I'm going to show you around!" She felt kind of guilty about ignoring Pietro, so she decided to make it up to him. Pietro smiled at the slightly smaller girl, and allowed himself to be led all over the floor. It felt slightly ironic to be given a tour by someone who hadn't even been there before.

Lovisa chattered on and on about her favorite subject, her eyes lit up. There was a rare sparkle in her eyes that Pietro did not- under any circumstances- want to diminish. So he followed her around and asked questions when needed. Though, he admitted, he wasn't really paying attention to what she said. But it wasn't _entirely_ his fault. He kept getting distracted by Lovisa and his thoughts drifted towards her. He couldn't really help it, but that didn't stop him from struggling to listen and understand what the young genius was talking about.

"…And that's how it works," Lovisa finished. Pietro blinked, quietly absorbing everything that she said. He may not be able to make sense of most of the terms, but he got the basics. Lovisa was surprisingly good at explaining things in a simple manner. Pietro thought that she would make a good teacher or professor.

"So where should we go now?" Lovisa inquired breezily, still fascinated by being surrounded by all the _science_. (Not that she wasn't every day, especially working with Tony, but she loved the museum all the same.) Pietro arched an eyebrow.

"Today is all about you, where do _you_ want to go?" He asked amusedly. Lovisa's cheeks tinted a pale pink at his words. Very few people had ever been that considerate… Not for the first time, Lovisa mentally thanked God that she met Tony Stark and worked at the Avengers Tower. Without him, she never would have met any of these wonderful people. Even if Tony wasn't that wonderful most of the time…

"How about…" Lovisa pondered on it, "The Aquarium?" Pietro grinned at her.

"Of course," he answered, hailing a cab for them. He'd noticed how Lovisa was getting tired near the end and didn't want to force her to walk. Lovisa smiled at the gesture before getting the taxi.

They spent the rest of the day going about the city, Lovisa spouting off random facts whenever she saw something she recognized. Pietro was _quite_ impressed with her vast knowledge, but he suspected she was making some of the stuff up out of her head.

"Was Thomas Edison _really_ afraid of the dark?" Pietro questioned suspiciously. Lovisa laughed at his question.

"To my knowledge," she answered while giggling. She was tired from the long day and was barely able to form coherent sentences. Pietro arched an eyebrow at her when her giggles didn't end after several minutes.

"I think it's time to get you back to the tower," he said matter-of-factly. Lovisa didn't fight him when he took her hand in his own and started leading her down the dark streets of New York. Well, not that dark actually. 'The City that Never Sleeps' is an accurate title; lights from stores and lamps lit the streets that were supposed to be black, and people still milled about in enormous crowds even though it was nearing midnight. There was a crowd of tourists who were blowing bubbles, for what reason- neither of them knew. Lovisa giggled again before resting her head on Pietro's shoulder and yawning. _So tired…_ Pietro looked down at her with a touch of affection. They were still quite far from Stark's Tower, so Pietro hefted her into his arms. Lovisa barely registered his arms around her as he ran the rest of the way.

At the Tower, Pietro rushed up the stairs to the 75th floor. The Tower was just as busy as outside, and you could barely tell it was night. _Don't these people sleep?_ Lovisa giggled slightly at the thought of zombies working at the Avenger's tower. Exhausted and slightly loopy, Lovisa curled in towards Pietro's chest and dozed until he reached her door. Pietro gazed down at the half-sleeping girl and opened her door and laid her down on her bed. Lovisa didn't move and the only sound she made was a slight snoring noise. Pietro smiled at her before starting to exit the room.

At last thought, Pietro put her blankets over her and took off her jacket. Lovisa gratefully settled down into her bed, making murmuring noises and mumbling a word that sounded distinctly like 'elephants'. Pietro chuckled lightly at her sleep talking before opening the door to leave. Just as he took a step out the door, he froze when he heard Lovisa speak.

"Thank you," she murmured. Pietro smiled and turned his head to her.

"You're welcome," he answered softly. With a smile, he left her to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _Back to work_. Lovisa wrinkled her nose as she opened the door to the lab and a foul stench emanated from inside.

"What the hell, Tony?!" Lovisa yelled as she saw the idiot scientist standing in front of a large fire that smelled of sulfur in the middle of the lab. Grabbing the fire extinguisher, Lovisa hastily sprayed the fire.

"What did you do that for?" Tony demanded, turning around to confront Lovisa. "I was in the middle of an experiment!" His act of toughness was easily disregarded by the layer of soot he was covered in. Lovisa snorted derisively.

"You almost killed yourself and burned down the tower!" Lovisa yelled exasperatedly. Tony rolled his eyes and sighed at her, like she was being the ridiculous one in this situation.

"You need to lighten up," Tony commanded, brandishing a small wrench at her. Lovisa arched an eyebrow. His threatening gesture was somewhat ruined by the tiny size of the weapon. Tony set it down with a clatter before wiping his face with a dirty nearby rag.

"So… How was your trip with Roadrunner?" Tony asked. _Right to the point…_ Lovisa sighed deeply, putting her hair in a ponytail.

"It was fine," Lovisa replied, rolling her eyes at her boss's questions. She turned her back on him and started on her work at her station. That lasted for all of two minutes until Tony threw a small wrench at her.

"Ouch! Hey!" Lovisa winced, glaring at Tony. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to get your attention," he shrugged. Lovisa's glare intensified.

"So that meant you had to throw a wrench at me?" Tony shrugged again.

"Seemed appropriate at the time." Before Lovisa could get into how that was _not_ in _any way_ appropriate, Tony continued on with his pestering. "So… Did you guys enjoy your date?"

"It was not a date!" Lovisa exclaimed. Tony rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation.

"Of course it was a date. You guys went out- together- and then had dinner- together. I think that qualifies as a date." Mr. Banner walked in while Tony was wheedling for information. Lovisa sent him a beseeching look, but he just looked helplessly at her. Lovisa deflated, sighing.

"It wasn't a date," Lovisa informed Tony before turning around to work. Again.

"I need details!" Tony whined. Lovisa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't be a little bitch, Tony," Lovisa said. She didn't turn around, but she imagined that Tony was balking at her. Bruce chuckled- apparently he had walked in the lab in the last few minutes.

"She's right, Tony," Bruce commented as he rolled up his sleeves. Tony huffed.

"Fine, I concede," Tony sighed, giving in. Lovisa relaxed, her muscles unknotting as she rolled her shoulders. Tony must have still been bitter because he started blasting ACDC at the highest volume. Lovisa jolted and then sighed at Tony's petty revenge. _He is actually a child_ , she sighed mentally.

She somehow made it through the work day, albeit with plenty of eye rolling- mainly directed at Tony. Throughout the day, Tony managed to set three small fires, _almost_ set seven more fires, and blasted his debatably bad music all day. Even Bruce was getting tired of him by the end of the day.

"Tony, I'm clocking out!" Lovisa called, slipping off her lab coat. When he didn't reply, she rolled her eyes and left. Once he was in the zone, he wouldn't emerge for a long time. Tony was working on clean energy for the whole city, not just the tower. He had a breakthrough the other day- that Lovisa could only begin to understand- and now he's living in the lab. _Pepper must be a saint._ Lovisa felt bad for Pepper- she doubted she'd be able to put up with her significant other being away all the time.

Rolling her neck, she stepped out the door and gasped in surprise. Pietro was waiting by the door wearing a large grin and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Pietro!" Lovisa exclaimed, her hand resting on her heart. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her brow furrowed. He looked slightly sheepish.

"Wanda told me that you were getting off, and I was wondering if you would like to join us in the lounge," Pietro suggested. Lovisa's eyebrows rose and she cleared her throat.

"Sure- I'd love to!" Lovisa answered with a smile. What she didn't say was that she would take any excuse to spend time with the twins. Pietro grinned back at her.

"Wanda and Vision are debating on what to watch. They both have a lot to catch up on," Pietro said as they strolled towards the lounge. Lovisa tilted her head.

"And you don't?" She questioned curiously. Pietro chuckled.

"Of course I do, but Stark has been forcing movies down my throat since we got back." Lovisa chuckled.

"That sounds like Tony," Lovisa said, rolling her eyes. Pietro laughed and Lovisa again decided that she liked that sound and wanted to hear it more often.

"Stark has some more… irritating qualities," Pietro admitted with a grin.

"That's an understatement," Lovisa snorted, "Did you know he set the lab on fire today?" Their bantering came to an end as they arrived at the lounge to see Wanda and Vision sitting closely on the couch. Pietro cleared his throat as they entered and the two sprung apart. Lovisa's eyebrows rose and she bit back a smile. _Looks like someone's falling in love…_ Pietro didn't seem too upset about it. He seemed more amused than anything.

"Lovisa," Wanda greeted, standing up, "It's nice to see you again." Lovisa smiled at her.

"Lovisa," Vision said humbly, "It's nice to meet you properly. I don't think we were introduced." Lovisa smiled at the android and shook his outstretched hand.

"You too." Lovisa glanced at the stack of movies they were going through. "Have you decided on anything yet?" Wanda glanced down at the pile and shook her head.

"Not yet, we were wondering if you could help us," Wanda said, looking back up hopefully. Her accent coated her words the same way as her brother's. Lovisa sat down on the couch and started going through the pile. _Chronicles of Narnia… Matrix… Disney… Some movie I've never heard of…_ Bingo

"Wait, you've never seen Star Wars?" Lovisa asked incredulously, gaping up at Pietro. His brow furrowed and he shrugged.

"I have no idea what that is," he answered casually. Lovisa stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you kidding? We have to fix this immediately!" Lovisa debated on whether to start with Episode I or the order they were filmed. Sighing, she popped Episode I into the DVD player. _Tony is going to hate me if he finds out…_ It was no secret that the eccentric genius hated the Star Wars prequels with an unprecedented passion.

"Alright you guys, if anybody asks- you started with A New Hope, okay?" Wanda and Pietro both nodded, looking confused. Vision blinked slowly, seeming vaguely confused by the whole process, but he just sat there until Wanda scooted up next to him. The android smiled when she did and intertwined their fingers. Lovisa smiled when her eyes caught on their hands. _They're cute together,_ she thought. They seemed like they were always together, and how they always sprung apart when someone saw them… It was like they thought no one else could see. Lovisa smiled wistfully. _They deserve each other._ Lovisa was startled out of her thoughts when Pietro sat down next to her. Her eyes darted up to him with her brow furrowed. He just grinned and started the movie.

Lovisa watched for a little while before getting hungry. She'd eaten a light lunch while in the lab because Tony complained if she ate for more than two minutes, but now she was starving. Standing up, she waved away Pietro when he looked on in question.

"I'm going to get some popcorn and snacks," Lovisa answered in response to his look. Pietro's eyes lit up at the mention of food. _They say food is the way to a man's heart. I don't think they're wrong._ Pietro started to stand up before Lovisa waved him down.

"You stay and watch the movie," Lovisa ordered. It was an important part to their education. "I'll get the food."

"You realize that I can get it much quicker than you can?" Pietro inquired, raising an almost white eyebrow.

"You need to watch the movie," she repeated sternly. Pietro let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Alright," he conceded. Lovisa allowed a smile to drift on her lips before turning to the kitchen.

"Can you get the ice-cream?" Wanda inquired from her place on the couch. She tore her gaze from the screen to look up beseechingly at Lovisa.

"And pizza?" Pietro added. Lovisa smiled and shook her head at them.

"Not your housekeeper!" She called. The twins seemed confused. "Wow," Lovisa remarked, "You guys _do_ need to catch up." Entering the kitchen, she retrieved the requested food and popcorn.

When she entered back into the lounge, the three of them looked up at her. Lovisa smiled before passing out the requested food.

"Vision, do you want anything?" She asked before sitting down. The android shook his head.

"No thank you, Miss Lovisa," he answered calmly. Lovisa sat down next to Pietro again and started on her popcorn.

/

Pietro definitely seemed to enjoy the movies, jolting during all the action sequences and his eyes were alight when he gazed on the lightsabers.

"Does Stark have any of those?" He asked Lovisa, his head turning to meet her eyes. Lovisa's lips turned up in an amused smile.

"I don't know," she answered honestly, "You'll have to ask him. I bet he would make you one." Pietro's eyes were alight with mischief as he contemplated her plan.

"I'll do that," he said absently, his eyes drawing back to the screen. Lovisa just smiled

/

Sometime between episode IV and V, Lovisa started struggling to keep her eyes open. No wonder, it was past midnight and they still had another movie and a half.

"Lovisa, are you sure you don't want to go to sleep?" Pietro murmured into her ear. Lovisa made a disgruntled sound.

"No… hafta-" A yawn broke through her sentence, "Finish tonight." A little of her accent trickled through, but she didn't notice. Pietro did. He wrinkled his brow in confusion, but didn't say anything.

"If you insist," he answered back. Lovisa smiled before her eyes started drifting shut again. Reluctantly, her head started tilting to rest on Pietro's shoulder. He smiled as she unwillingly drifted off.

~o0o~

When the credits of Episode VI finally finished, both Wanda and Lovisa were deeply asleep. Even Pietro was getting a little tired. Vision, of course, was wide awake. His eyes followed Pietro as he stood up and picked up Lovisa. Pietro stared pointedly at his sleeping sister who had the android's arms wrapped around her. Vision turned darker and Pietro smirked at him. He could swear that Vision was blushing.

Leaving the room at a normal pace, Pietro carried Lovisa in his arms. She made a small noise as she wrinkled her nose before relaxing again. She cracked her eyes open blearily, looking up at Pietro.

"Wha- Pietro, wha're you doing?" Lovisa murmured before Pietro hushed her.

"Go back to sleep, love. I'm taking you back to your room," Pietro whispered as he padded down the hallway. Lovisa's brow wrinkled like she was going to ask another question, but she fell asleep before she could. Pietro allowed a tiny smile to grace his face before opening the door to her room. Settling her down on her bed, he pulled the covers over her. Smiling at her one last time, he left her room and closed the door tightly behind him.

When he was gone, Lovisa snuggled down under the covers, wrapping her blankets tightly around her in an imitation of a cocoon. Like that, she wearily fell asleep.

 **Sorry this took so long (and is REALLY short), I kind of fell into a pit of self loathing and hated everything I wrote. I somehow managed to cram this out, but who knows when the next chapter will be. I'm not abandoning this (?) but don't expect to see me for a while.**

 **Also: I fixed a lot of stuff in other chapters because I noticed I made the same mistakes I always do. So if you want to (it's not really necessary) you can reread it. Basically, I fixed her IQ because it was way too high and the whole 'no touching' thing. Sorry!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lovisa had been spending a lot of time with the twins, catching them up on the last century. Every evening after Lovisa was done for the day, they watched a movie. After watching Star Wars, they had watched the Hunger Games trilogy and then started catching up on Disney- some of the best movies ever made.

"Lovisa," Pietro started, holding up a familiar DVD, "Can we watch this tonight?" Lovisa's eyes widened as he held up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

"You can't watch Harry Potter without reading it first," Lovisa proclaimed. Pietro looked up at her hopefully.

"Can you read it to us then?" He asked, his gray eyes looking up at her. Lovisa wavered for a moment, torn between saying no- she _really_ didn't like reading out loud- and goddammit, those eyes. Eventually, she gave in. Who could say no to those eyes?

"Alright," she sighed. She stood up from her place on the couch and went to the corner to get the first Harry Potter book. Sinking back down on the couch, Lovisa cracked open the book and started reading.

"Chapter one, The Boy Who Lived," she started. The twin's eyes were fixed on her form as they lay sprawled on the couch next to her. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…"

~o0o~

Wanda and Pietro requested chapter after chapter until they had almost finished the book and only a few pages were left. Lovisa's throat was hoarse from talking for several hours and she remembered why she _hated_ reading out loud. But it wasn't like she was going to stop. Some time while she was reading, Pietro had laid down on the couch with his head in Lovisa's lap and his legs draped over his sister. Lovisa's hand had somehow wound itself in his hair while the other held the book.

"I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…" Lovisa finished. She almost felt like crying with joy from the relief her throat felt. The twins were quiet for a moment, absorbing the story.

"…I do not like Draco," Pietro said honestly. Lovisa laughed, her face cracking into a smile.

"I don't think anybody does," Lovisa answered.

"I like the story," Wanda announced, shoving Pietro's legs off of her. Pietro sat up with a disgruntled look on his face.

"We can continue tomorrow, if you want," Lovisa suggested shyly. Wanda's face lit up.

"I'd love that," Wanda said. Lovisa smiled and got up to put the book back in its proper place.

"I'm glad we got to Harry Potter," Lovisa said through a yawn, "It's a classic."

"Lovisa, tomorrow-" Wanda was cut off as Lovisa's cell phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, she saw it was Bethany.

"I'm sorry," Lovisa apologized to the two, "I have to take this." Clicking 'Accept', Lovisa answered the call.

"…Lovisa?" Bethany's shaken voice asked. Lovisa's eyebrows drew together in concern.

"Bethany? What is it?" She demanded. The twins' gazes darted toward her, unbeknownst to Lovisa.

"I- I…" Bethany's voice faltered and she restarted. "The apartment burned down and I don't have anywhere to go." Lovisa couldn't suppress the gasp that came out.

"Oh my god, where are you?" Lovisa questioned in a panic, frantically searching for her keys. After dumping out her purse on the floor, she finally found her keys stashed in her jacket pocket.

"I'm on the corner of Fifth and Ash," Bethany's muffled voice said through the phone.

"I'm going to come get you, okay?" Lovisa reassured her, while simultaneously not feeling an ounce of calmness herself.

"Okay… Please come soon," Bethany begged, "I'm freaking out right now."

"I'm on my way, I'll be there in five minutes," Lovisa promised without thinking. She said a hurried goodbye and ended the call, throwing her phone in her purse.

"Lovisa," Pietro said, his voice filled with concern, "What is wrong?"

"My best friend," Lovisa said in a rush, "Her apartment burned down, I have to go get her."

"Where are you going to take her?" Pietro asked. Lovisa froze, her mind racing over the flaw in her plan. Shit, she couldn't bring her here, could she? She was a guest here and it wasn't her home, it was Tony's. Besides, she couldn't bring someone that no one except for her knew to the place where the _Avengers_ liked to hang out.

"I- I'll get her a hotel room," Lovisa said. Searching her purse, she sucked her wallet for cash. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath. Damn Stark for putting her money directly in the bank. "Um, uh," Lovisa stuttered, desperately trying to come up with a plan, "I- I'll just hit up an ATM and get us a room for the night." Pietro's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"Are you going to stay with her?" He questioned. Lovisa nodded distracted.

"Yeah, I should- she should be with a friend, I know she's freaking out right now and I _really_ have to go, I'll catch up with you later." Lovisa left the floor in a hurry and got into the elevator to get downstairs quicker. The pit of dread in her stomach didn't make her claustrophobia any better, and she felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack when the doors finally opened to reveal Tony and Pietro were blocking her way out of the elevator.

"Guys, I really need to get through!" She snapped, the fact that she was telling her boss what to do never crossing her mind.

"No," Tony said firmly, "Pietro just explained what happened and you're not being rational and you are in _no_ state to drive, believe me, I'm an expert in driving when I shouldn't."

"I need to get to my friend!" Lovisa yelled, her frustration leaking through, "I'm already late a-and she's probably worrying about me and she's already stressed enough!"

"Why don't you just bring her here?" Tony suggested. Lovisa looked at him with a bemused expression.

"I- I can't do that, this is the Avengers' tower," Lovisa protested weakly.

"Well, I happen to be an Avenger and I give her permission- but just this once," he added jokingly. A weak, shaky smile crossed Lovisa's face.

"…Are you sure?" She questioned hesitantly.

"Positive," Tony said confidently. Lovisa's smile grew stronger and without thinking, she rushed up and hugged her boss.

"Thank you so much," she said in a relieved sigh. Tony chuckled and patted her on the back twice before she let go.

"Do you need a ride?" Tony questioned worriedly and Lovisa shook her head.

"It's fine, I'll just take a taxi," she reassured him.

"If you're sure…"

"I am." Lovisa left the building with her purse slung firmly over one shoulder and hailed a taxi to ride to the site of Bethany's apartment. It was raining, a fact that she found ironic- after all, shouldn't it be harder for buildings to burn when it was wet and cold outside? Nature seemed to have other plans.

Fifteen minutes later, Lovisa got to where Bethany's apartment used to be and found a huge throng of ash-covered tenants, firefighters, and reporters. Three police cars were parked around the apartment with sirens blaring and it looked like the fire was almost at its end; the smoke curling in the air was the only remnants of the fire. Lovisa got out of the taxi and desperately searched for her friend in the swarm of people.

"Lovisa!" Bethany cried and Lovisa turned around to see her best friend wearing a make-shift raincoat from the police, "Thank god you're here!" Lovisa rushed to her best friend and hugged her tightly in her arms, ignoring the rain that was dampening them both.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? When did this happen?" Lovisa asked, her questions coming out rapid-fire.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Bethany said, "I'm just really freaking out right now- and oh god, did I interrupt your work? I know how important this job is to you and I-"

"Hey, Bethany, it's alright." Lovisa pulled her friend into a hug. "Oh god, I was so worried."

Bethany gripped her tightly, like she thought she was going to disappear if she didn't. Lovisa held on just as tightly, the cloud of panic starting to fade from the edges of her mind and leaving her calmer.

Lovisa let Bethany break the hug, but didn't stop holding her arms.

"I have somewhere for you to stay for…" It just occurred to her that Tony never said how long Bethany could stay. "-Tonight until you can go back in your apartment."

Bethany's eyebrows furrowed. "Really?"

"You'll really like it," Lovisa added.

"Where?"

"The Avenger's Tower."

Bethany's mouth dropped open in the shape of a perfect 'o'. " _What_?! Are you serious? How?"

"Believe it or not, Mr. Stark offered," Lovisa said, still hardly believing it. He didn't seem the type to allow perfect strangers into the Avengers Tower- he must be stupid or confident in the abilities of the Avengers to protect themselves.

"That's… Oh my god, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Lovisa laughed before answering, "I'm not the one you should be thanking; now come on, let's get out of here before it gets even crazier."

Lovisa finally managed to hail a taxi after five unsuccessful tries and by the time they got in the car they were both soaked to the bone.

"Av-vengers T-tower," Lovisa chattered as the AC made them even colder, chilling their wet clothes. The driver looked at their wet clothes and bedraggled appearance and gave them a skeptical look.

"Your funeral," he snorted.

The taxi ride didn't take long despite the traffic and by the time Lovisa and Bethany got out and paid, they were both blue and shivering with cold. The rain had slowed to a drizzle and the storm clouds looked like they were clearing up. Lovisa's shoes squeaked and squelched when they got into the tower lobby, leaving puddles behind on the clean tiles.

"Shit," Lovisa murmured under her breath. She forgot about the elevator and Pietro was nowhere in sight. Tony had never gotten around to making something to help her get upstairs without making her legs want to die. "Go up the elevator, here's my key card to get up to the lab on floor seventy-two. Tony or Bruce should be there, just explain who you are and they'll help you. I'll be up in a little bit."

Bethany's forehead creased. "What about you? Can't you go in the elevator just this once?"

Lovisa's head started shaking, almost uncontrollably. "No… I- I can't do it again today," her voice faltered before continuing, "I just- I don't think it's a good idea."

Bethany pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay. Thank you for all this, by the way, I really appreciate it."

"Plus we can have a sleepover now," Lovisa joked. At Bethany's expression, Lovisa added, "Don't worry, it's no problem. I'll see you in a little bit."

They parted ways and Lovisa tackled the stairs one at a time. Half an hour later, she was on floor 10. She was beginning to slow down and took a short break in the stairwell.

"Holy shit," she said, sinking to the floor, "It's stupid how many stairs are in this place." It was then that she remembered that she had never successfully climbed all the way to the lab by herself. She did the math quickly and found out it would take over three and a half hours to reach the lab. Lovisa let out a groan and let her head bang against the wall.

"Why is it that I always find you here?" Pietro asked, amusement lacing his voice.

"Jesus Christ!" Lovisa jumped, startled. "I need to get a bell for you," she said.

"You are ridiculous," Pietro said before forcing her to her feet.

"What are you-" She didn't get to finish the sentence before she was back at the lab. "Oh, thank you," she said sheepishly, turning around to face Pietro.

"It is no problem, slow girl."

"Really, thank you," Lovisa said, "You know you don't have to do that."

Pietro grinned, "Yes I do. If I didn't you would die of exhaustion somewhere on the stairs and you haven't finished showing us Harry Potter yet. And I don't think Wanda would appreciate me letting her friend die before she had a chance to take you around the city tomorrow."

"What?" Lovisa asked, confused.

"Oops." Pietro looked sheepish. "I guess she didn't ask you yet. When she does, I never said anything."

She laughed. "My lips are sealed."

"Good," Pietro said, relieved, "Now go take care of your friend, she needs you."

Lovisa gave him a grateful smile and entered the lab to find Bethany looking starstruck at Tony, but when she turned around to look back at the stairwell, Pietro was gone.

/

"You're finally here!" Bethany exclaimed, rushing over to hug her, "What took so long?"

Lovisa coughed. "Bethany, the lab is on floor seventy-two."

"So?" Bethany questioned before a look of realization took over her face. " _Oh._ "

"I had some help," she reassured her.

Tony interrupted her before she could question Lovisa further. "How long until your apartment is actually habitable?"

"I don't know," Bethany answered, "Probably a month or so, but I don't even know how much damage there is yet- the firemen wouldn't give us any information." She looked downcast when she remembered why she was there in the first place. "Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair after tonight," Bethany added.

Tony nodded and Lovisa was disappointed when she noticed he didn't offer to let her stay longer. _It's probably against the rules, and this is the Avengers Tower and they don't know her_ , the logical part of her brain said, _You're lucky he offered to let her stay tonight_.

"Where will you stay?" Lovisa questioned, worried about her friend even though she was technically an adult.

Bethany shrugged before answering, "Probably with Rose, she just caught her boyfriend cheating on her and kicked her out of the apartment."

"Seriously?" Lovisa asked in disbelief. "Tell her I'm sorry. I'll send some ice-cream with you."

"Viz, you can have tomorrow off," Tony announced, "But I expect you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed early the day after."

Lovisa bit back a retort about how Tony rarely was bright-eyed and bushy tailed and had dark circles around his eyes from not sleeping for three days straight. "Yes sir. Thank you."

"No problem," he said dismissively, "Now get out of my way so I can get back to work."

They left the lab and lingered awkwardly in the hallway before deciding to go to Lovisa's room.

"This is your _room_?" Bethany said, her mouth dropped open in awe. "This is so much better than our apartment…"

"But I miss you! I don't get to see you every day anymore," Lovisa whined.

Bethany rolled her eyes and said, "What a tragedy having this gorgeous room instead of a too-small closet in a crappy apartment must be. Truly awful. How do you cope."

"Oh shut up, Bethany," she said, hitting her with a pillow.

"Is that a challenge?" Bethany asked, getting a cocky grin on her face, "We'll see who the _real_ pillow fight champion is…" She grabbed a pillow and starting hitting Lovisa with it.

"THIS MEANS WAR!" Before their pillow fight could escalate, the door opened and Wanda poked her head in.

"Lovisa, I heard yelling, are you al-" She broke off in confusion when she said Lovisa in the middle of a pillow fight with someone she didn't know.

"Oh, hi Wanda!" Lovisa said cheerfully. "Sorry to bother you, we were just having a pillow fight." Wanda's eyes drew to the other girl. "Oh, this is Bethany."

"Nice to meet you," Wanda said, smiling politely.

"Nice to meet you too!" Bethany said cheerfully.

Wanda's eyebrows drew together in confusion as she asked, "Why are you fighting with pillows?"

"Because it's a pillow fight!" Lovisa answered. When Wanda's confused expression didn't disappear, Lovisa's mouth dropped open. "Have you never had a pillow fight?"

Wanda shook her head, "I don't think so…"

Lovisa tossed her a pillow from her bed and Wanda caught it without any effort. "The only rule you need to know for a pillow fight," Lovisa said solemnly, "…Is that there are no rules!" She cracked an evil grin and whacked Wanda in the chest. She looked confused and hurt for a second before taking her revenge by hitting Lovisa in the arm. Soon, everything devolved into chaos and their pillow fight escalated into an all-out brawl on the floor with laughter filling the air.

"What is going on in here?" The other Maximoff said from the doorway, looking down in confusion at the three girls on the floor.

"We are having a pillow fight," Wanda answered her brother. His face brightened in an instant.

"Can I join?" Lovisa almost laughed at his eager expression.

"No, go away," Wanda said and his expression crumpled.

"Why not?" Pietro whined.

"Because you're an idiot."

"You're hogging Lovisa!"

Wanda glared at her brother and raised her hands threateningly and Pietro blanched and ran out of the room. For a moment, Lovisa wondered why he looked so scared; she would have said he was pretending but it didn't look entirely fake. _I wonder if it has something to do with her powers…_ Lovisa still didn't know what Wanda's powers were- or if she even had any. She assumed she did considering she was in the Avengers and her twin was a mutant, but you could never be sure.

"Bye Lovisa!" He said before disappearing.

Lovisa laughed, "Bye Pietro." She didn't know if he heard her or not.

"Who was that?" Bethany asked in confusion.

"Her brother."

"An idiot." They answered at the same time and Bethany looked at them

"It's getting pretty late," Lovisa said, looking at the clock on her nightstand that said it was 9:47, "Don't you think we should get ready for bed?"

Bethany snorted, "You're such an old woman. It's not even ten and you want to go to sleep?"

Lovisa blushed, "I didn't say we had to go to sleep…" _But that's what I was thinking_.

"We could always watch a movie," Wanda suggested, "Do you want to pick, Lovisa? You always pick good ones."

Bethany's face brightened. "Girl's night! We can make popcorn and eat ice-cream. Is there anywhere we can watch a movie?"

"I'll get us set up," Lovisa said. "Wanda, can you show Bethany the kitchen so she can get snacks?"

"Of course."

/

Lovisa set up _Back to the Future_ in Tony's system. The movie room, as Lovisa dubbed it, was luckily sound-proofed so they wouldn't wake anyone up with the surround-sound. _Not that anybody is actually sleeping_ , Lovisa added in her head. The only people here were Tony and Bruce and she would bet twenty bucks that they were sleeping in the lab. Well, there was also Pietro, but he seemed too busy for sleep.

"Got snacks!" Bethany announced as she and Wanda entered the room. Wanda was carrying a huge pile of blankets and pillows and Lovisa wondered where she got them.

"We should get in our nightclothes," Wanda suggested, dumping all the sleep-over supplies on the floor.

"About that…" Bethany said, trailing off, "Can I borrow some? All mine kind of got burned up in the fire."

"Yeah, sure," Lovisa said, standing up, "One sec."

She returned five minutes later in a too-large Green Day T-shirt that she was ashamed to own and carrying pajama pants for Bethany.

"Really?" Bethany asked, looking at her shirt in amusement.

"Shut up," Lovisa said, blushing, "It's really soft."

When she got back, the three of them stayed up until 2 am eating slightly melted ice-cream in their pajamas and watching movies.

 **Look I updated! If you see any mistakes or have any suggestions feel free to leave a comment.**

 **Also: I changed something because i'm very indecisive ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯**

 **Basically in chapter 5 i had something about her having jetpack anklets and yes i'm a bad writer but ohh m y god d that's the most ridiculous thing i've heard of. Bad past me! So i just deleted that, you don't need to reread it if you don't want to.**


End file.
